Autumn Food and Wine Pairings: Rosé

The leaves are beginning to change, there’s a touch of chill in the air, the days are shorter, and the nights are cozier. It may be Autumn, but we’re still pouring our favorite Rosé! We recently introduced the newest vintage of our Salute Rosé. This 2022 edition is floral and fruity, yet luscious and ideal for enjoying with food. As we transition into all of our favorite harvest-time recipes, we are enjoying the amazing flexibility of this wine, pairing with a diverse array of delicious dishes. This week, we assembled some pairing inspiration for fall food and Rosé wine. Yum!

 

Butternut Squash Soup 

By Christi at Food & Flair

If it’s autumn, then it’s soup season. We absolutely love this butternut squash soup that incorporates warming ginger and cardamom, resulting in a soup that’s exciting and fresh yet comforting. Don’t skimp on the thyme and sage for the full welcoming impact of fall herbs.

 

 

Pork, Cider & Sage Hotpot

By Anna Glover for BBC Good Food

A hearty combination of some of fall’s best flavors, yet still ideal for enjoying alongside a glass of Salute Rosé, this recipe is perfect for a chilly evening. Slow-cooked pork, cozy cider, and crispy potatoes…it doesn’t get much better than that!

 

 

Walnut & Rosemary Crusted Salmon 

By Andrea Kirkland for Eating Well

For our pescetarian friends (or anyone looking to get in their omega-3s) this recipe is a perfect autumnal take on seafood. Enjoy this moist, tender, flavorful, and filling dish! We recommend serving this with sheet pan roasted broccoli and potatoes. 

 

 

Italian Sausage Pasta

By Chelsea’s Messy Apron

Like most of our Italian-style wines, our Salute Rosé is right at home alongside classic Italian flavors. This pasta dish is incredibly flavorful and comes together quickly. Half & half and parmesan bring creaminess and lots of baby spinach boosts the nutrition of this perfect comfort food. 

 

 

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

By Esther Clark for BBC Good Food

Like our Rosé, this pasta dish is both light and hearty. Enjoy a silky and delicious sauce made with the luscious flavors of pumpkin, mascarpone, and parmesan. It’s a recipe that’s easy, classy, and perfect for the season. Yes please!

 

 

Herb-Roasted Turkey

By Lisakhamm on AllRecipes

Classic Thanksgiving dishes also hold their place among the most beloved autumn cuisine. This herb-roasted turkey uses an easy yet irresistible blend of garlic, basil, and sage, making this a perfectly  approachable recipe for a holiday staple and a delicious pairing with Rosé.

 

 

Savory Sweet Potato Casserole

By Christin Mahrlig at Spicy Southern Kitchen

For those without a sweet tooth, this is the sweet potato casserole you've been waiting for. Tasty mashed sweet potatoes, loaded with herbs, gruyere, and caramelized onions, and topped with pecans and crunchy bacon. It doesn’t get better than that!

 

We hope you will enjoy your favorite wines all year ‘round, regardless of what the weather is up to! Do you have any favorite fall pairings? Let us know @rubinoestates on social media!

 

September in the Vineyard

Now halfway through September, the vineyard is showing all the picturesque signs of harvest season. Join us on an early morning walk in the estate vineyard with this photo gallery.

Our quintessential Italian varietals, Sangiovese and Barbera, grow side by side. These neighbors have a lot of character!

With the cold and rainy weather that extended through springtime this year, the vines have taken their time to reach maturity. We have a small handful of berries that haven’t reached their beautiful mature colors yet!

The weather conditions this year also had the effect of producing a bumper crop! Even our baby vines are heavy with fruit.  

We have gone through each row of the vineyard to select for quality, cutting excess fruit so that the clusters that remain can mature to their fullest potential. 

The Sauvignon Blanc, shown here glowing in the morning sun, will be ready the earliest of all the fruit in the vineyard. Fumé Blanc lovers, get ready for something delicious!

Our vineyard care includes removing the leaves that cover the fruit on the east-facing side of the vines, while leaving the leaf coverage on the west-facing side. This way, the  fruit is exposed to the lovely golden sunshine in the morning, but shielded from the harsher afternoon rays. 

We keep a relentless focus on the quality of our fruit and the sustainability of our vineyard practices. This is the path toward making the best wines and looking out for what matters!

Our vines are thriving and healthy, promising a marvelous 2023 vintage. This Cabernet vine glows with potential.

For our Sangiovese lovers, the clusters that create this classic are growing more picturesque and promising each day. 

Our Chardonnay vines are likewise beautiful, with golden maturity and exciting flavor development. Like the Sauvignon Blanc, the Chardonnay will be harvested sooner than the rest of our fruit. 

The morning dew kisses the vineyard on a cool morning like this one. The clusters sparkle with anticipation. 

Autumn is coming, and harvest time is here.

We hope you’ll take a moment to look out into the beautiful estate vineyards next time you visit us! For those who want a behind-the scenes look, consider the Duck Tour! This adventure takes you through our vineyards and pulls back the curtain on our winemaking process and philosophy. Inquire at info@rubinoestateswinery.com to book your Duck Tour experience today, or click here to learn more.

Palate Cleansers for Wine Tasting

If you enjoy wine tasting or fine dining, you have probably heard the term “palate cleanser.” In this blog, we are exploring exactly what these cleansers are, what it means for wine tasting, and what the best options are.

What is a palate cleanser?

“Palate” is a word used often in the wine world to essentially refer to the mouth, particularly the tongue. A palate cleanser is any food or drink that can hit the “reset” button on your palate, removing the remnants of the wine you just enjoyed and priming your palate for the wine to come. This also serves to refresh your palate, which can grow fatigued over time as you enjoy a wine tasting. White wine has lovely acidity and red wine has enjoyable tannin, but these characteristics can numb the palate over time. 

Why do people use palate cleansers for wine tasting? 

The palate fatigue mentioned above is a big concern for wine critics and sommeliers who have to keep their sense sharp as they taste many wines in shorter periods of time. For casual wine fans, refreshing the palate throughout a wine tasting is a good idea too! To a wine, the palate is a canvas across which it spreads all of its characteristics, from flavor to texture. You want to give each wine a chance to shine on its own clean canvas, not smeared across a different work of art that clouds its unique nuances and complexities. Palate cleansers help you get the most out of your wine tasting experience!

What are the best palate cleansers for wine tasting?

There are both food and beverage options for palate cleansers, and many of them are both fun and functional. After all, who doesn’t want a snack with their wine tasting? Many palate cleansing foods wouldn’t be out of place on a charcuterie board. Consider the following:

• Tasty bread, anything from a baguette to a croissant, which absorbs the flavor of the previous wine
• A mild cheese, like cheddar or mozzarella which is just fatty enough to break down tannin (and it’s delicious)
• A crisp apple or pear, which brings tart yet sweet starch
• Celery, which sweeps out leftover texture and tannin from previous wines without leaving an aftertaste. 
• Green olives, particularly Graber olives, which offer a distinct flavor that will help the palate reset between wines. 
• Mild crackers, not overly seasoned, which function much like bread. 

If you are looking for a beverage that effectively cleanses the palate, you want to go effervescent! Take a look at these options:

• Sparkling water, which you can enhance with some sliced lemon or cucumber
• Beer. Yes, really! It’s effervescent and offers some bitterness; make sure to select something on the lighter side. 
• Champagne or Sparkling Wine. The flavors from before wash away with fun bubbles, and the palate is freshened and bright. Plus, it’s just plain wonderful.

As a general tip, we recommend selecting palate cleansers that lean more toward the bland side so there’s no competing flavors leftover on the palate. A good palate cleanser will leave you feeling light, clean, and fresh. If you want to elevate your sensory stewardship, consider keeping some whole coffee beans nearby. These serve as the equivalent of a “palate cleanser” for the nose, offering a reset so you can enjoy and distinguish aromas from wine to wine. 

Wine tasting may not be an endurance sport, but with some practice you can keep your taste buds sensitive so that you can always enjoy the tasty subtleties and fun nuances of wine. Cheers!