Disclosure: I received free samples of wine from a Stout & Cellar consultant to develop this post. All opinions expressed are my own. JUMP TO RECIPE
Strawberry season is my favorite time of year. Not only because I love strawberries, but because once the warm weather arrives and the strawberries ripen, it means summer is finally underway. This year, strawberry season coincided with me receiving free samples of 14K Wines Rosé from Scout & Cellar, a direct to consumer distributor of clean crafted organic and vegan wines, and with it, I made these incredibly juicy and delicious Sugar-Coated Rosé Strawberries. “Clean crafted wines”, a term coined by Stout & Cellar, is a phrase you’ll probably start to hear more about. The clean eating movement has spurred health-conscious consumers to ask more questions about exactly what’s in their food and how it’s made/harvested, so it’s only a matter of time before they start demanding the same information about their wines. If you’ve ever woken up with a headache after drinking just 1 or 2 glasses of wine the night before, it doesn’t mean you’re getting old, it means the wine you were drinking had a lot of junk in it! And if you don’t like drinking reds because they stain your teeth, you should know that this is likely the result of a dye called Mega Purple or Ultra Red, an additive used in many mass-produced red wines.
Unfortunately, labeling laws don’t require winemakers to list their ingredients so you basically have no idea what you’re drinking – it’s usually not just grapes! For example, the average mass-produced bottle of wine can contain as much as 16 grams of added sugar and up to 300 chemical additives. And, unless you’re searching out biodynamic or organic wine, you’re definitely being exposed to pesticides that are not fully removed in the winemaking process. So, the sad truth is most wine is not nearly as clean as the food that health-minded people are eating. That’s where Scout & Cellar comes in. The founder of this innovative start-up (launched in 2017) travels the world in search of vineyards that adhere to her clean-crafted wine standards which include:
- No added chemicals or preservatives
- No sugar added, EVER
- No synthetic pesticides
- Sustainable, organic, or biodynamic farming methods
- Grapes harvested by hand
Normally when I receive product samples I’m anxious to create recipes using them, but I was a little conflicted about this when I received wine samples from Scout & Cellar because I really just wanted to drink them! Fortunately, I came up with a great solution by creating these Sugar-Coated Rosé Strawberries. A plate of these little babies makes a light and elegant summer dessert. And, there’s only 60 calories in each serving (5 strawberries) – how awesome it that? These would also be great to serve at cocktail hour as a healthier alternative to cheese and crackers.
Sugar-Coated Rosé Strawberries couldn’t be simpler to make. Just poke some strawberries in a few spots with a toothpick, immerse them in clean crafted 14K Wines Rosé for at least 15 minutes, and then roll them in a mixture of sugar and orange zest. Soaking the strawberries makes them unbelievably juicy and the thin coating of orange scented sugar intensifies the natural sweetness of the strawberries just enough. And the best part? You can go ahead and drink the rosé you used to soak the strawberries afterward! This is no problem, especially since the tasting notes for this wine indicate hints of strawberry.
The recipe for Sugar-Coated Rosé Strawberries calls for raw cane sugar but feel free to substitute regular granulated sugar. I used raw cane sugar because it’s less processed and has a slight caramel taste which I like, but the recipe will work with either type of sweetener. Now, back to clean crafted wines. If you like what you’ve read so far about Scout & Cellar, consider hosting a tasting event. A consultant will come to your home or office and do wine tastings with their featured wines, discuss what “clean crafted” wine actually is, and give people an opportunity to purchase the wines after the tasting is complete. This would be so much fun for an office party or girls’ night out! There is NO cost to the host and no one has to buy a thing. For more information visit Scout & Cellar.
If you make Sugar-Coated Rosé Strawberries don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me over on Instagram @QueenofMyKitchen. I’d love to see your creation!
- ¼ cup raw cane sugar (sometimes called evaporated cane juice)
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
- 10 medium strawberries, with stems if possible
- 1 can (187 ml) of 14K Wines Rosé
- Combine the sugar and orange zest in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Poke each strawberry with the tip of a toothpick 4 or 5 times in different spots and place them in a pint size mason jar or other similar size container.
- Pour the entire can of rosé in the jar. Let the strawberries soak up the rosé for a minimum of 15 minutes at room temperature or up to 1 hour in the refrigerator.
- Remove the strawberries from the jar by their stems (let the excess rosé drip off for a second or two) and place them, one at a time, in the bowl of sugar. Spoon the sugar over each strawberry and roll it around until the entire surface is coated. Pick back up by the stem and gently shake off the excess sugar before placing on a serving platter.
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This looks so decadent! Such a treat!
Yes indeed, they are delicious!