Smell the Roses

June is a great month. My wife is happy because she can smell the roses. I'm happy because I can smell the rose'.


So what could be better than combining the two, which is what we did on a sparkling day this week at Hartford's Elizabeth Park. Elizabeth Park is an absolute jewel, one of the oldest parks of its kind in the country with a truly amazing rose garden. For our annual trek this week we loaded up on some grilled salmon sandwiches with aioli and sweet potato fries, some ripe olives and a nice chilled Vin Gris De Cigare from Bonny Doon. Dry but profoundly fruity.

The local store actually had a nice selection of rose' wines from Rioja and Southern France, but the Bonny Doon won out because it was chilled and came with a screw cap -- perfect for picnicing. And, what could be more perfect for a picnic than a fun summer wine like rose'. Rose' in the roses.

The air was filled with the scent of, well, roses. Was it the wine? The roses? The wine? The roses? Not important. It was sensory overload. Got some rose beds near you?