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Wine Pairing Weekend Writers Go for Finger Food and Summer Drinks
This month, our host Linda has asked us to share our summer sippers and finger foods to pair. At our house, rosé is the drink of summer. In winter, we enjoy long braised stews and roasts and the bigger, bolder wines to match. In summer, we put away the fleece and break out the flip-flops! Sometime in May or June, when the new shipments arrive, I head to one of our local wine shops to pick up a mixed case rosé, and we usually are just about done by Labor Day. In Minnesota, the weather abruptly shifts in early September and we put away those flip-flops and dig the fleece out of the back of the closet. I know lots of my wine buddies in warmer climes shout the beauties of rosé year-round, but that just doesn’t work for me in the frigid north!

Scaia and Tenuta Sant’Antonio
Tenuta Sant’Antonio is not an old estate by Italian standards, having been founded by four brothers from the Castegnedi family in 1989. The Tenuta Sant’Antonio wines are traditional Valpolicella and Soave wines from their respective designated origin (PDO) regions. The brothers wanted to add a range of wines in a fresh, easy drinking, aromatic style so they created the Scaia line. The Scaia wines are made with grapes grown in the larger Veneto IGT region, allowing these wines to be offered at an everyday pricepoint. I have enjoyed a number of the Scaia wines including past vintages of the rosato.

Tenuta Sant’Antonio Scaia Rosato Veneto IGT 2021 ($16 from Solo Vino) 12.5% abv
Eye: Medium pink-orange
Nose: Medium intensity aromas of roses, watermelon rind, fresh ripe strawberries, cranberry, grapefruit
Mouth: Dry, high, tart acidity, medium minus body, medium alcohol, medium intensity flavors, medium finish. Flavors follow the nose with tart cranberry, strawberry, just a hint of thyme.
Observations: Just a delicious rosé, perfect to enjoy without too much contemplation on a summer day. It handles the spiciness and savory flavors well with bright acidity and solid fruit to balance.

Late to the Jalapeño Poppers Train
I’m not sure how I have managed to have missed out on jalapeño poppers all this time. I suppose because of my Minnesota-mild palate, I had assumed they would be too spicy. Recently though, we were at a friend’s house where they were served and I realized the cooking mellows out that jalapeño spice. So my entry this month includes something old, rosé, and something new (to me) jalapeño poppers! We used a NY Times Cooking recipe, and I cooked them on the grill at a medium temperature to allow the bacon to be cooked all-around. They made a nice addition to our July 4th cookout, and the Scaia Rosato was sufficiently fruity to balance the mildly spicy pepper remaining after time on the grill.

Summer Bites and Sips from Fellow Wine Pairing Weekend Writers
Take a look below at some great ideas from our Wine Pairing Weekend crew for summer sips and bites. What are your favorites? Chime in during our chat on Saturday, July 9 from 10-11am CDT on Twitter at #WinePW.

• Camilla’s posting “A Casual Feast and Canned Wines: Bo Ssäm + Two Shepherds’ 2021 Maxzilla Piquette” at Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Wendy is “Sipping Rosé and Enjoying Summertime” at A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Terri’s got “Summer Time Canned Sparkling Prosecco and Pepperdew Bites” at Our Good Life
• Gwendolyn’s going with “Orange Wines for Summer Times from Austria, Mexico, Oregon, Paso Robles” at Wine Predator
• Jane offers “Summertime Nibbles with Prosecco” at Always Ravenous
• Andrea is “Sipping Pretty this Summer with Emir and Trail Mix” at The Quirky Cork
• Jeff says “Add Some Pop! to Your Summer of Rosé” at Food Wine Click!  
• Kat insists “Schiava is the Perfect Summer Red Wine for Grilling” at The Corkscrew Concierge
• Nicole has “Summer Memories of Sunshiny Sippers” at The Somm’s Table  
• Finally, Linda serves up “Washington Pinot Gris for chilling on a lazy summer afternoon” at My Full Wine Glass