Albacore Burgers + Midpoint's 2024 February's Bouquet Rosé #WinePW

This month the wine writer's group is focusing on seasonal summer fare with wine to pair. Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is hosting and invited us: "Summertime...and the livin' is easy.....Share a favorite summer meal and wine pairing that you enjoy during the Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer."

Here's the summertime line-up...

• A Chillable Red for a Summer Spread by Cooking Chat

• A Summer Salad with Muscadet by Food Wine Click!

• Albacore Tuna Burgers + Midpoint's 2024 February's Bouquet Rosé by Culinary Cam (you're here)

• Arizona Wine for Summer Time: Page Springs Cellars Rose and Caduceus Anubis Red Blend with Fresh Apricot Salad and Burgers by Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley

• Bubbles and Bites: Prosecco and Frittata to Please your Palate by Vino Travels

• Inspired by Lillian: Rice Noodle Salad and Sicilian Grillo by My Full Wine glass

• The Wine I Paired with Classic Summer Fare by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Midpoint's 2024 February's Bouquet Rosé

Summertime is all about al fresco dining, hiking, beach time with beach reads, and complex Rosés. After our trip to Paso Robles for our younger son's twenty-first birthday last December, I connected with the "Director of Good Times" for Midpoint Winery. When I finally wrote back that we were headed that way, I discovered that Blake was no longer there; but Paul invited me in for tasting anyway.

I will write more about the winery in an upcoming pairing, but suffice it to say, I was impressed with their wines and excited to pair this summer sipper.

While the 2023 February's Bouquet was a 50-50 blend of Mouvedre and Grenache, the 2024 is 80% Mouvedre and 20% Grenache with the grapes grown at the Hollyhock vineyard. The grapes are pressed with about 8 hours on the skins which lends to the rosy hue. Then it is aged in stainless steel. The wine is beautifully balanced with a light body and great acidity. On the nose there are aromas of citrus peel and rose petal while on the palate, I got ripe cherry, crisp green apple, and fennel, It was the last of those two flavors that inspired my pairing.

The story behind wine's name is kinda sweet. According to their website...

Julie's dad, Ed, was the king of practicality, a banker through and through. Cheri, her mom, sports a February 8 birthday. Ed, who doesn't mess around, figured out a brilliant move. Every February, like clockwork, here comes this bouquet of sturdy carnations for Cheri's birthday, 'cause those babies would hold out until Valentine's Day. Efficient, right?

Gotta love the efficiency of recycled flowers. I am all for that!

Albacore Burgers

Because my notes from the tasting room on this wine included apple and fennel, I knew that I wanted to make an apple-fennel slaw to put on top of a fish burger.

Ingredients

Albacore Burger

• 1-1/2 pounds albacore fillets

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

• 2 Tablespoons capers

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon minced lemongrass

• 1 teaspoon minced ginger

• pinch of dried Thai chilis (optional)

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• 2 Tablespoons gluten-free tamari

• 2 Tablespoons gluten-free flour blend

• butter for cooking

Fennel-Apple Slaw

• 1/2 cup diced fennel

• 1/2 cup diced green apple

• 1/4 cup diced red apple, soaked in cold water for at least 30 minutes

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil

• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon fresh dill

• salt and pepper, to taste

To Serve

• red butter lettuce for garnish

• sliced tomato for garnish

• beet hummus (recipe to come)

• tartar sauce (recipe in this post)

• fennel-apple slaw (recipe above)

• toasted brioche or gluten-free bun

Procedure

Albacore Burger

Remove any bones from the fillets. Using a chef's knife, chop the fish until it resembles pea-sized chunks. Combine all ingredients - except butter - in medium bowl, mixing well. Once everything is combined nicely, form into 1" thick patties. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add albacore patties. Cook until just firm to touch and brown and crusty, approximately 3 minutes on each side.

Fennel-Apple Slaw

Place all of the ingredients in a small bowl and let stand to meld flavors.

To Serve

Toast your buns. Smear a dollop of beet hummus on the bottom bun and top with the burger. Add a dollop of tartar sauce on top of the burger and spoon on some slaw. Put the tomato slice and butter lettuce on the other size. Serve immediately.

That's a wrap on my summertime food pairing offering. The wine writers will be back next month with an Italian wine pairing. Stay tuned for more information about that.