Wine Pairings for Summertime Grilling

To us, nothing feels like "summer" more than an evening spent grilling on the patio. Growing up, this meant all of our cousins driving out to our sunny Carmel Valley house to escape the Carmel fog. We've grilled just about everything that comes into season during the summer months and are always trying to find creative yet balanced wine pairings for each dish. Here are some of our go-to pairings featuring wines from one of our all-time favorite wineries from home, Morgan Winery. Now, grab those grilling tongs, a glass of your favorite wine, and let's get grilling!

xxx Ivy & Eve

Be sure to use our code IvyAndEve at checkout on Morgan's website for complimentary shipping on your first order! 

Chicken - Lightly Oaked Chardonnay 

Nothing beats a lightly oaked Chardonnay with grilled marinated chicken. We love using refreshing citrus marinades and fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, or basil to keep the flavors light, especially on hot summer evenings. Lightly oaked Chardonnay pairs great as it complements the mild flavor of the chicken and the slightly toasty flavors from the grill!

Veggie Skewers - Sauvignon Blanc

It's not summer without grilled veggie skewers! We love including fresh veggies from Ivy's garden, like summer squash, peppers, and tomatoes. A nice chilled Sauvignon Blanc pairs so well with grilled veggies because of its high levels of vegetal pyrazines, the compound that gives grassy or "bell peppery" notes to some wines. 

Our pick: Morgan Winery 2021 Sauvignon Blanc

Salmon - Rosé 

Rosé is the perfect companion to grilled salmon or any seafood, really! The fresh acidity from rosé cuts through the rich fattiness of salmon, while the lightly fruity notes complement (and don't overpower) the delicate flavors of many seafoods. Rosé also pairs well with lighter sides like fresh watermelon salad, pesto pasta salad, and lightly dressed greens! 

Our pick: Morgan Winery 2022 Rosé of Grenache

Burgers - Petit Sirah

A massive juicy burger's bold, beefy flavor deserves to be paired with an equally bold wine like a Petit Sirah. This wine's dark fruit and heavy tannins can handle the fatty meat from a beef burger. Petit Sirah also pairs well with mushrooms, so a portobello mushroom burger works perfectly if you need a vegetarian option.

Steak - GSM

We love a classic tri-tip on the grill, and nothing pairs better than a GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre blend) or another Southern Rhône-style red blend. GSM blends incorporate a nice balance of brambles, rosemary, and baking spice that enhance the flavors of the steak, while the acidity and rich tannins of the wine cut through the fattiness. 

Our pick: Morgan Winery 2020 Cote Du Crows

Sausages - Syrah

Grilled pork or beef sausages are an excellent pairing for Syrah as the Syrah's punch of dark fruit on the palate and peppery afternotes match the bold flavors and spices in most sausages. We love pairing Syrah with spicy/sweet Italian sausages or something savory like garlic rosemary or cheesy portobello sausages. 

Our pick: Morgan Winery 2021 G17 Syrah

BBQ Meats - Zinfandel

For those of you who love BBQ meats, we suggest pairing your meal with a glass of full-bodied Zinfandel. The Zin's rich and fruity palate balances the intensely smoky flavors of the BBQ. Zin's typically have higher alcohol content (14-17%), allowing them to hold up to the deeply hearty, fatty BBQ meats. 

Mushrooms - Pinot Noir

We love grilling our favorite fungi, as grilling mushrooms enhances their savory, earthy flavors. This is a wonderful food pairing for our favorite varietal, Pinot Noir! A bright and fruit-forward Pinot Noir will lift the savory flavors of mushrooms, while a more terroir-driven Pinot will heighten the umami of the mushroom. Either way, we're game! 

Our Pick: Morgan Winery's 2021 Twelve Clones Pinot 

Fruits - Riesling

You can grill so many great summer fruits, but peaches are definitely our favorite! You can add them to salads, as a side to your grilled chicken and fish, or serve them alongside your favorite ice cream! We think grilled peaches and vanilla ice cream are the perfect ending to our summer meals. Riesling is a good pairing option for grilled fruit since it has harmonious notes of honeysuckle, citrus, and stone fruit. Depending on your mood, food course, or sweet tooth, you can purchase dry, off-dry, or sweet rieslings to pair with your dish. 

Rosé Punch

Rosé season has arrived! WOOHOO!!! We are so happy to be enjoying the sunshine and warmth of summer after such a wet winter here in California. With rosé season upon us, we wanted to create a tasty cocktail worthy of sipping poolside. This rosé punch is just that: light, refreshing, and low in alcohol compared to other cocktails. It's the perfect drink for your #roséallday festivities!!! 

Ingredients:

• 3 bottles Rosé- We used Gruet Rosé

• 3 cups lemonade (freshly squeezed or just not from concentrate)

• 3 cups citrus flavored sparkling water- We used La Croix Grapefruit

• 3 grapefruits

• 3 lemons

• Ice

• Edible flowers for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Squeeze 2 grapefruits and 2 lemons. Slice the last grapefruit and lemon into thin slices for garnishing glasses and adding to the punchbowl. 

2. In a large punch bowl or drink dispenser add the rosé, lemonade, grapefruit juice and lemon juice. Stir.

3. Add grapefruit and lemon slices.

4. Fill the punch bowl or drink dispenser most of the rest of the way with ice and stir. 

5. Add the sparkling water and gently stir. 

6. Top the punchbowl with edible flowers and serve. 

7. Enjoy!

The Drink of Summer 2016: Frosé

You may have noticed a certain pink drink popping up on social media...no we don't mean the Pink Drink from Starbucks (although that one is delicious!) we mean Frosé!

Frosé is a slushy like drink made of...you guessed it, ROSÉ! As soon as we saw a photo of this magical beverage, we knew we had to try it. We haven't seen it on any drink menu near us so we looked at some recipes online and the recipes vary a lot. We picked up a bunch of strawberries from the farmers market so we thought why not add that to the mix? This recipe would also be great to make cheeky alcoholic popsicles as well. Enjoy!

xxx Ivy & Eve

Ingredients

1 bottle rosé

3 oz. sweet vermouth

1 cup strawberries

Agave syrup to taste (optional)

Mint to garnish

Directions

1. Cut the tops off the strawberries.
2. Place the strawberries in a blender (or food processor) and puree.
3. Strain the strawberries using a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. Use the back of a spoon to push the puree through without pushing the seeds through. 
4. Pour the bottle of rosé through the strainer to help get the last bit of puree through the strainer and discard the leftover seeds and pulp.
5. If there are some seeds and pulp in the bowl you can strain once more.
6. Add the sweet vermouth and stir.
7. Taste test to see if you would like to add any agave syrup and add if you would like. 
8. Pour the liquid into a large glass dish or several ice cube trays and place in freezer until frozen (depends on the dish you use but this should take around 4-6 hours)
9. Once frozen, break up the frozen mixture with a spoon  and place in a blender. 
10. Blend until smooth, pour into glasses, garnish with a strawberry and some mint and a straw.
11. Serve immediately!