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Strawberry Moscato Sparkler

Strawberry Moscato Sparkler

Six weeks, four days. That’s a mere 46 days — or 1,104 hours, if you prefer. Though it’s probably slightly less than 1,104 hours.

What’s the countdown? It’s the number of days until the school year ends and the kids and I can officially — really and truly — head off the shoreline for a summer of sand and surf. I can’t wait for every salty, breezy, sunny moment of it.

In the meantime, a few friends and I discovered our official beach cocktail of 2013 (not to be confused with the kid-friendly summer drink of 2013). We were sampling a variety of Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato wines (more on that in a minute) when we decided to muddle a berry into a glass and add ice cold Pink Moscato. It was heavenly — sweet, with a hint of bubbles.

I’ve dubbed it the Strawberry Moscato Sparkler. It’s so, so simple, but also super tasty. Especially when the Moscato is ice cold.

So what is this Moscato? It’s a variety of wine that’s a little different than anything you’ve had before. I think of it as a dessert wine, but it can be enjoyed with spicy food too. Moscato is a sweet, slightly carbonated wine that is best served ultra-chilled (stick it in the freezer to get it as cold as can be). I was introduced to Moscato last year in a project I did with Gallo Family Vineyards so when they asked me to join a similar project this year, I couldn’t say no. I am kind of a Moscato groupie.

Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato Wines

I love a project that teaches me new things… And this one did just that. Turns out that there isn’t just one variety of Moscato — there’s three. Gallo was kind enough to send over a bottle of each, so, I gathered a group of friends and had a quickie tasting of Pink, Red and the traditional white Moscato.

We sipped and slurped and compared all three varieties, commenting on them as we passed them around. Moscato has a nuanced sweet flavor. Some varieties, like the Pink Moscato have a hint of berries in the finish. While others, like Moscato (the white variety) have hints of peach and citrus. Gallo Family Vineyards’ Pink Moscato was our absolute favorite. I think it might have bad something to do with the group fantasy of watching the sunset on the beach with a glass of Moscato while writing some new fiction.

Hey, a girl can dream, right?

Strawberry Moscato Sparkler-4

Celebrate the Second Annual National Moscato Day

Gallo Family Vineyards created the first National Moscato Day last year, and they are ready to celebrate big this year on May 9. As part of that, there’s a fab Twitter party happening.

Gallo Family Vineyards (@GalloFamily) will be hosting a National Moscato Day Twitter party from 9-10pm EST. To join in, use hashtags #MoscatoDay #gno.

Will I tweet you there?

Strawberry Moscato Sparkler

Strawberry Moscato Sparkler

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

A sweet, refreshing cocktail perfect for hot summer nights. This was created as part of a campaign sponsored by Gallo Family Vineyards.

Ingredients

  • 4 large ripe strawberries
  • Gallo Family Vineyards Pink Moscato, chilled

Instructions

  1. Place a strawberry in each of four wine glasses. Muddle, crushing and rubbing it to release the juices.
  2. Pour chilled Gallo Family Vineyards Pink Moscato over the top.
  3. Enjoy immediately.

Notes

The Moscato should be ice cold -- consider sticking it in the freezer for 30 minutes before using.


Disclosure: I am being compensated by Gallo Family Vineyards and Mom It Forward for my participation in this campaign. All opinions are my own.

Maris

Monday 13th of May 2013

You had me at wines.

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