Girl Drinks Wine

How to Get Your Dad to Drink Pink

Fathers day is coming up and that means backyard barbeques in the warm June sun. Your Dad will probably grab his go-to bottle of red to wash back that barbeque. This is to be expected, as most people think red wine pairs best with barbequed food like burgers. And Dad isn’t wrong, red wine does work great but Rosé can also bring out the best in your burger! With the right type of Rosé it can actually be a delicious pairing and something different to switch up the typical Father’s Day barbeque. But how to get your Dad to drink pink?

The 13th Street Burger Blend Rosé is how to get your dad to drink pink! It’s a great pick for those who don’t think they like Rosé and an excellent gateway into the world of pink wine. The 13th Street Burger Blend Rosé is made from 100% VQA grapes – 33% Pinot Noir, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc. It was specifically produced to complement a burger and the combination does just that. The delicious blend of red grapes creates a medium-bodied crisp Rosé with flavours of ripe red berries, spice and a juicy finish. The 13th Street Burger Blend Rosé is not your light pretty french Rosé, but a big juicy blend designed to stand up to your favourite barbequed burger. This is how to get your Dad to drink pink!

While The 13th Street Burger Blend Rosé was designed to pair well with a variety of different burger combinations, I think it pairs exceptionally well with a blue cheese burger. The juicy red berry flavours and crisp spiciness work great to cut through the strong flavours of beef and blue cheese. If your Dad is still on the fence about drinking pink, this combination should sell him! The deliciousness of this food and wine combo cannot be denied!

Now that the question of how to get your Dad to drink pink has been solved, how do you get the Burger Blend Rosé? You can pick up this wine at The 13th Street Winery in Niagara or order it from their online store. It’s an excellent value wine at only $14.95 a bottle. If you head over to my Instagram page, a lucky follower also has the chance to WIN two bottles of the Burger Blend wines!

Cheers!~GDW

How to Rosé All Day

Sure, it sounds pretty simple to Rosé all Day. Who needs a ‘how to’ on drinking wine for a day? Well, have you spent an entire day drinking Rosé? Not only does one typically want to pass out by 3pm, but it can also cost a lot of money. And while I LOVE Rosé, it can get kind of boring drinking the same. thing. all. day. But not to worry, I have a plan. With my ‘how to’ guide you will not be taking an afternoon siesta, breaking the bank or tiring of your drink. Follow my 6 steps to successfully Rosé all Day!

How to Rosé all Day

Step 1: Start with Frosé

Have you tried making Frosé? It’s the perfect way to get your Rosé all Day party started! It’s basically a breakfast smoothie, right? Most Frosé recipes are pretty standard – freeze the rosé overnight and blend with red berries and simple syrup. But my Frosé recipe is even easier! And I’ve added a fun tropical twist by using coconut water and agave. Find my Frosé recipe here and start your day right!

Step 2: Make Rosé Spritzers

Rosé spritzers are your friend! I remember being in my young 20’s and an “older” woman telling me about how great wine spritzers are because you don’t have to drink as much wine. I did not understand at the time. Why would I want to drink less wine? Well, when you’re going to Rosé all Day it’s helpful to stretch out the wine intake. And a Wine Spritzer is a great way to do that. Check out my recipe for Wine Spritzers here.

Step 3: Find Rosé bottles under $10

How many glasses of wine you consume in an hour? Even if it’s only one glass an hour, to Rosé all Day takes several hours. Lets just say, you’re probably going to need more than one bottle of wine. For full Rosé days it’s great to find bottles under $10 that you enjoy. The good thing is that there are actually quite a few out there! My absolute favourite Rosé under $10 is the JP Azeitão Shiraz Rosé, which you can find this wine at the LCBO for $9.25.

Step 4: Combine Rosé and food

Sorbet is food, right? If we can agree on that than my Rosé Sorbet recipe is the best way to combine Rosé and food. Even if this recipe is not giving you any nutritious sustenance, it’s at least changing up the way you consume your Rosé for the day! And it’s switching it up in the best way possible. It’s one of those recipes that gets better as it sits – and in this case that means a conclusion of delicious pink frothiness. You can find my Rosé Sorbet recipe here.

Step 5: Buy Rosé magnums

Wine magnums are typically great value. And when you’re going to Rosé all Day you’re going to need good value! My favourite Rosé magnum is the Jackson-Triggs Rosé, which you can find at the Wine Rack $18.95 (on sale right now for $16.95!). I really like to use this magnum as a mix for Spritzers, Rosé Sorbet, Frosé or Sangria. Because it’s more medium-bodied and on the sweeter side, it’s Rosé flavours really hold up against whatever you’re mixing it with.

Step 6: Mix up your Rosé in a Sangria

I will admit that I typically do not like sangria. But Rosé makes everything better, right?! Plus, when you’re going to Rosé all Day it is beneficial to have some sort of wine cocktail that will dilute the alcohol percentage a bit! I actually really enjoy my Rosé Sangria recipe which only uses a couple ingredients and is super simple to make. I suggest making up a big batch for that Rosé all Day late afternoon stretch.

Cheers!~GDW

Rosé Sorbet

I knew this Rosé Sorbet recipe was going to be good, but I could not have imagined just how good! I mean, I guess you can’t go that wrong when you’re combining raspberry sorbet with pink bubbles, right? But not only did the combination look beautiful, it tasted even better! This is my perfect type of recipe – no cooking, few ingredients, looks beautiful. The Rosé Sorbet will be great for so many different occasions this summer. I can imagine serving it as a dessert for friends at an al fresco dinner, bridal shower or even a wedding. Find out below the two ingredients and two steps it takes to pull off this oh so pretty pink Rosé Sorbet.

Ingredients

Sparkling rosé (I used the YellowGlen Pink bubbly)

Raspberry sorbet

Instructions

Place one large scoop of raspberry sorbet into a glass (I used a coupe champagne glass) and top with sparkling rosé. Add a straw and/or mini spoon.

Cheers!~GDW

Rosé Sangria

What’s better than sangria? Sangria made with rosé! I’m actually not a huge fan of sangria made with red or white wine, but I had no problem finishing my glass of sangria made with rosé. Sangria is the perfect punch for summer – it’s easy to make, can be made on a large or small scale and pairs well with a lot of summer foods. My Rosé Sangria only has a few ingredients and will be great for a Mexican or Spanish tapas party. It will also pair equally well with yourself, a balcony and the sunshine!

Ingredients (makes 4-6 glasses)

4 cups of rosé

4 cups of raspberry lemonade

1.5 cups of sparkling water

1.5 cups of raspberries

2 oranges sliced

Instructions

Combine the rosé, lemonade and sparkling water, then add the orange slices and raspberries. Combine all in a large pitcher and serve into glasses to enjoy!

Cheer!~GDW

How to Make Frosé

Have you tried making Frosé? It was super trendy last summer with yummy recipes all over Pinterest. Yet, I did not make Frosé until this spring! Most of the Frosé recipes are pretty standard – freeze the rosé overnight and blend with red berries and simple syrup. As most of you know by now I don’t love cooking, so even to freeze rosé and make simple syrup was too much for me! I needed to find an easier way to make and sweeten my Frosé. And that’s how we get my tropical twist on Frosé that requires nothing but adding ingredients to the blender! With my Frosé recipe below there is no excuse not to get into the frozen rosé trend.

Ingredients

Rosé (a sweeter wine like the Jackson-Triggs Rosé works best)

Frozen strawberries

Coconut water

Agave syrup

Instructions

In the blender combine: 2 cups of rosé; 2 cups of frozen strawberries; 1 cup of coconut water; and 2 tablespoons of agave syrup. Blend, pour and enjoy!

Cheers!~GDW

Rosé Spritzer

I love a wine spritzer, especially a rosé spritzer! What’s better than a refreshing pink drink by the pool on a hot summer day? But when you’re going to rosé all day, it’s smart to stretch out your wine so that you’re not a magnum in by 3pm! A spritzer is a great way to do this. Plus, rosé spritzers taste great and are super easy to make. I like to use lower priced wines for spritzers, as you’re not going to be fully appreciating the wine after mixing it. For a rosé spritzer I find it best to pick a sweeter wine with a deep pink colour. The 1500ml Jackson-Triggs Rosé meets all of these requirements. Follow my 3-ingredient rosé spritzer recipe below and you’ll be able to happily rosé all day!

Ingredients

Bottle of rosé (I used the Jackson-Triggs 1500ml bottle)

Sparkling water

Frozen raspberries

Instructions

Pour 4oz of wine into a wine glass

Add 4 oz of sparkling water

Top with frozen raspberries

Cheers!~GDW

Wine Your Way Through Toronto: The Wine Shop on Bay

For those of us living in Toronto we’re just a couple hours drive away from several different Ontario wine regions, but it can be difficult to make the trip as much as we’d like (every weekend would be nice!). But there’s now no reason to go further than 1000 Bay Street to taste some of Ontario’s best wines. You’re probably familiar with The Wine Shop; there are over 100 locations throughout Ontario carrying wines from Peller Estates, Trius Winery, Thirty Bench Wine Makers and Wayne Gretzky Estates. What you’re probably not familiar with is The Wine Shop on Bay! It’s the first location in a new concept for The Wine Shop stores – along with a trendy new look The Wine Shop on Bay offers a fabulous tasting bar and so many fun wine experiences. And if you’re in the market for a saber, this can even be picked up at The Wine Shop on Bay!

On my visit to The Wine Shop on Bay, I did a rosé tasting at the tasting bar. I was led through a flight of three different Ontario rosés by on of the store’s very knowledgeable staff. Without the drive to Niagara, I felt that I got to know each of the wineries and sample some of their great wines. I even tasted what is now my favourite Ontario rosé – the Thirty Bench Small Lot Rosé. If you have not tried this rosé than that is excuse enough to head over to The Wine Shop on Bay where it is sold exclusively, outside of the winery.

Like my rosé tasting, you can customize any type of wine experience that you like. The helpful staff are happy to organize the perfect tasting for you to celebrate a birthday, bachelorette or just a Sunday afternoon! There are also standing experiences that you can book like the Big Cheese Theory and Vino & Cocoa. The Wine Shop on Bay is starting to host fun events too! The first is Wine 101 with Thirty Bench winemaker, Emma Garner covering some of Niagara’s most popular rosés. For more information about booking an experience or attending an event, contact events@thewineshoponbay.com or visit their Instagram.

If you haven’t been to The Wine Shop on Bay yet, it’s definitely worth the short trip to 1000 Bay Street. This new concept store for The Wine Shop is really great and changing how Torontonians can experience Ontario wines without leaving the city. And if anything, you must try the Thirty Bench Small Lot Rosé!

Cheers!~GDW