Sluggers' Strawberry Slushies

Okay, I'm aware that summer is officially over... the rain and dreary skies have set in here in Vancouver and the days are starting to get shorter. But I must share this delicious, icey drink with you today!! This is the perfect Friday night drink to celebrate the start of the weekend. Despite being a slushy drink, it isn't sweet - it has a grand total of 2 tablespoons of sugar! So for those of you who don't like sweet, this is the drink for you! And for those of you who do like sweet, sweeten this drink to taste!

I have to apologize though... no pictures of this one. I took a photo of the mixture in the blender before I blended it, but then I got wayyyy too excited to drink this one and suddenly it was gone and I had no photos... oh well, just gives me an excuse to make it again. Wooohooo!!

Sluggers' Strawberry Slushies
Recipe from Bon Appetit magazine, August 2011 Issue

Ingredients:

• 2 cups hulled strawberries
• 1 750 ml bottle dry Riesling
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tbsp sugar

Method:

1. To make this drink without an ice cream maker, put 1 cup of the wine, covered, in the refrigerator and chill. Puree the remaining wine with all remaining ingredients in a food processor. Pour mixture into ice cube trays and freeze until solid. When you're ready to serve, just puree the ice cubes with the remaining wine in a blender.
2. To make with an ice cream maker, puree strawberries, Riesling, lemon juice, and sugar in a blender until liquified. Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Divide among six cups. Serve immediately with straws, or transfer to a container and freeze.

Hope you enjoy this delicious drink!! I can't wait to make it again. :) Thanks for hanging in there despite the fact that my blogging has dropped off to only once or twice per week... hoping that by the beginning of October things will have settled down a little around here! Until then... once a week it is.

Cheers!

Summerhill Pyramid Winery

While visiting the Okanagan, my cousin and I stopped in at two local vineyards. I'm going to tell you about Summerhill Pyramid Winery in Kelowna today. I'll save Cedar Creek for another day! Our experience at Summerhill was fantastic - the vineyard was beautiful, the tasting room was very busy yet people were still receiving top notch service and information about the wine they were interested in. The bistro looked lovely though we did not get a chance to try out the food.

The neat thing about Summerhill is that they follow organic practices - most of their vineyards are certified organic and those that aren't are in the process of being certified (it takes 3 full years to become certified!). The owner Stephen Cipes says "these grapes are happy guys, they're flourishing. Our wines are allowing nature to speak for herself." Sounds like a pretty neat philosophy for an industry so known for preservatives and chemicals!

While in the tasting room we tried a number of wines including some reds, whites and sparkling. Their sparkling wines have won international awards and they were up against some tough competition - including Champagne from France! My favorite wine was the 2006 Riesling. It was so unique tasting with notes of butter and coconut. The tasting notes on the website note the following:

"Features pronounced aromas of coconut, butter, and minerality. On the palate
citrus, star fruit, and crisp apple followed by a clean lingering finish."

I would definitely visit this winery again. I thought the prices were really reasonable when compared to the quality of the wine. If you get a chance to taste Summerhill wine, I would encourage you to do so - you won't be disappointed! If you're looking to purchase Summerhill wine, you can do so direct from the vineyard or in BC Liquor stores. Cheers!