By Rick Riozza
With tennis fans no longer ascending upon the Palm Springs/Indian Wells area this and next week for the BNP Paribas Open, we still wish to share offerings from Kim Crawford Wines. They were the Open’s official wine partner, and, as you’ve all heard, the major tennis tournament has been canceled and all festivities, plans, and group parties associated therewith are off the calendar as well.
Everyone—tennis fan or not, is so disappointed with this turn of events that has affected one of Coachella’s largest sports & entertainment venues. But we all understand and hope for the best. News as to whether the matches will be rescheduled is still uncertain.
The cancellation news came upon us wine & tennis columnists just before sending our articles out for publication. So . . . just in case the tournament is rescheduled sooner than later, I’ll still go ahead and highlight what was to be, and possibly, what will be when it comes to showcasing wine & tennis. And whether the tournament goes on or not, Kim Crawford is probably the largest and most popular New Zealand wine that is guzzled down in gallons here in the Coachella Valley.
Indeed, Kim Crawford Wines is the number one selling Sauvignon Blanc in the US. And for those who have ventured outside of their Sauv Blanc and tried their Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Rosé, vino lovers continue to enjoy the brand. Recently, Kim Crawford has just marketed their Sauv Blanc in cans. It was to be the canned go-to wine beverage of the tennis tournament; now the desert will simply have to enjoy them on their patios and those places allowing the cans to flow.
The Kim Crawford Frosé
At last year’s BNP Paribas, the crowd favorite was the newly concocted Kim Crawford Frosé. It was the perfect cooling-off beverage to handle the 90 degree plus temperatures that usually accompany the Indian Wells tennis tournament. And, it was soon to be the favorite cocktail for many all around town; just ask all of the local bartenders who were inundated with requests to make the pink-iced cocktails.
In view of the fact that these Kim Crawford Frosés will be missing in action for the next two weeks—no longer to be slurped at the event, I thought we’d present the bona fide Kim Crawford recipe of the new adopted cocktail of the Coachella Valley.
So, we start with a ½ cup water and a ½ cup of sugar. In a small saucepan bring sugar and water to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add a tablespoon of grapefruit zest and one tablespoon of fresh rosemary. Take the juice of 4 fresh pink grapefruits and one whole bottle of Kim Crawford Rosé and strain through a fine sieve. Freeze the liquid, mixing it every few hours until it becomes a solid. Thereafter it can be served in a nice or fancy cocktail glass with rosemary sprigs and grapefruit wedges to garnish. Cheers!
Okay—as one can see, it takes some time, surely. But I guess you can file this under “all good things take a little time”. However, anyone doing so and making it a fun project will be rewarded with a fantastic tasting cocktail! Or, should you not have the time, I’d simply throw a bottle of Kim Crawford Rosé into the freezer or the fridge for a bit and then enjoy a delicious Kiwi rosé that is taking our nation by storm and may soon rival its sister Sauvignon Blanc! And I understand that the Kim Crawford Rosé is also sold in cans nationwide for around $11-$14 a two-pack.
Many of you will remember my CV Weekly article, “Gems—the Art of Chilling Wine” (https://coachellavalleyweekly.com/gems-the-art-of-chilling-wine), where I wrote on Anna Rabinowicz’s collaboration with her Anna New York RabLabs company and Kim Crawford Wines on manufacturing fluorite wine gems, produced to chill the white wine efficiently. These were fluorite “marbles” –if you will, that are placed in the freezer for a few hours and then used to chill a glass of wine at a moment’s notice. Although it doesn’t appear that the collaboration continues, the “gems” are still being produced & sold, and, my article still gets a lot of hits!
As far as my tennis report goes at this time, we were all hoping to see the new sixteen-year-old female phenom, CoCo Gauff and her potential rival, U.S. Open winner Naomi Osaka. Right now, there are more qualified American tennis players playing at top level than we’ve seen in the past 20 years! And unfortunately, it looks like we’re going to miss seeing our favorite stars such as Federer, Nadal, the Williams sisters, and so many more. Another world class tennis tourney is scheduled in Miami next month; let’s hope for the best.
As a public service, we’ll offer the tournament’s latest comments:
“We are very disappointed that the tournament will not take place, but the health and safety of the local community, fans, players, volunteers, sponsors, employees, vendors, and everyone involved with the event is of paramount importance,” said Tournament Director Tommy Haas. “We are prepared to hold the tournament on another date and will explore options.”
“Any patron who has purchased tickets directly from the tournament may request a refund for the 2020 tournament, or a credit for the 2021 tournament. Patrons can visit www.bnpparibasopen.com/coronavirus to request a refund or credit.”
