Saturday – Summer is here! Part 1

Ah the sounds of Jackhammers tearing up our roads and corn on the cob back at the supermarket; that can only mean that summer is back! It was our turn to host the usual Saturday dinner with Mick and Amy and with the nice weather, I wanted to do a summer menu.

The starter for the night was Kettle chip Salmon bites and I paired this with a 2010 Bardolino Chiaretto Rosé from Zenato. The recipe was from a colour brochure that the LCBO put out spotlighting Rosé wine.

The nose on the Zenato Rosé was easy to find with aromas of lime and strawberry. Tasting the wine on its own, I found it to have a yeasty lemon flavor to it. The structure on the wine was decent but it was a touch on the acidic side but the crisp bite to the wine did make it very refreshing. It made a very good pairing with the Salmon bites and I was actually a bit shocked at how quickly the four of us killed the whole bottle.

Here is the group rating for the wine – Mick - 87, Mark - 87, Kathy – 87, Amy – 86, Overall – 86.75.

Here is the LCBO information on the wine –

ZENATO BARDOLINO CHIARETTO 2010


VINTAGES 45203
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 11.95
Wine, Rosé Wine
12.0% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : D
Made in: Veneto, Italy
By: Azienda Vinicola Zenato
Release Date: May 14, 2011

Tasting Note - This delightful candy-apple-coloured wine is made from the same grape varieties as Valpolicella - Corvina, Molinara, and Rondinella. Lively aromas of cherry, strawberry and blood orange greet the nose, along with a nice minerality and a lifted floral note. Dry, medium bodied with plenty of zippy acidity, it offers tart and tangy fruit to start, but sweeter notes emerge mid-palate and throughout the medium-long, crisp finish. Enjoy with crab cakes, or Portobello mushroom sandwiches with provolone cheese. (VINTAGES panel, March 2011)

The Kettle chip Salmon bites were really good, though a touch too lemony at times; it had both lemon juice and lemon zest in it. If I did this recipe again, I would cut the lemon zest by half to bring out more of the other flavours like capers, shallots and garlic.

Click here for Part 2