Rose: More Varied than You Think!

Rose wines are known for their summer time consumption.  Some people think that its a compromise from red wine, or are afraid of the rosy pink color that is associated with Rose.  The truth is, rose is easy to pair with foods, and comes in many colors and flavors!  Below is a sampling of 12 that I tasted this week.

New York, Pinot Noir, "Anomaly", Anthony Nappa 2011 - A nice brunch wine, this wine is very clear and is the color of light straw with a hint of blush.  The wine has a light bouquet, with bringt, fresh tones of melon, citrus, and apple.  I tasted honey, and a balance between citrus and melon.  The light clean flavor of this wine would pair well with cottage cheese and fresh goat cheese.

Portugal, Vinho Verde, Vera 2011 - Made from young grapes with low alcohol content, this is another good brunch wine.  In this case, the color is red but not as dense or purpley as a red wine.  It is also fizzy.  From this brunch wine, the bouquet is a bright cherry and it has a medium weight in the mouth.  You could also feel the tanin but it was balanced by the juicy red fruit flavor.  A fuller Rose than the last brunch wine, you could enjoy this with a ham omelet!  Yum.

Hamptons Rose, Wolffer Estate 2011 - Another local wine, this Rose had an interesting flavor.  The color is gold-salmon, and it is a very clear wine.  It had an earthy, stone, and yeasty smell but the flavor surprised me with a smoky cherry savory flavor.  It would taste good with fresh fish lightly sauteed with scallops or a salad with fish in it.

Les Baux de Provence, Rose, Mas de la Dame 2011 - a variety of flavorful red grapes were used to make this wine.  It has a peach color and the bouquet was herbal with red fruits.  It had a heavier feel in the mouth, with a strong sour cherry flavor and a bit of tannin.  I really liked this Rose, because it had a lot of flavor without being too heavy for summer consumption.  Like the last wine, it would taste good (on its own or) with fresh fish lightly sauteed with scallops or a salad with fish in it.

Bordeaux, Rose, Chateau la Gatte 2010 -  Made from Merlot and Malbec, this wine is very clear and the color is deep pink and orange.  The bouquet was smoky cherries and a hint of chocolate.  It has very low tannin content and medium weight.  The flavor is rich dark fruits with a hint of wood, and would pair very well with your barbeque meals!  Another yum.


Coastal Region South Africa, Cabernet Sauvignon Rose, Mulderbosch 2011 - Another very clear wine, the color is salmon-pink.  I smelled earthy, over-ripe odors and green pepper.  I learned from this wine that many wines with an off-putting odor may taste just fine.  This wine had medium body, and tasted of ripe, juicy fruit!  FYI, "new world" wines are known for providing fruitier flavors.  This wine had NO finish, so your food's flavor might last longer in your mouth.  Nevertheless, the wine would pair well with simple pizzas, especially those made with freshly made tomato sauce.


Rioja, Rosado Gran Reserva, Vina Tondonia,  Lopez de Heredia, 2000 - Are you ready for this wine?  It will surprise you.  A clear wine made from a mix of grapes from the Rioja region, this wine's color is amber and it is very clear and bright.  When you smell it, though, the surprise begins.  This wine smells like sherry or brandy, with spicy and woody overtones and a hint of vanilla.  You feel tannin when you taste this wine, and the flavor is complex.  It is so complex that there is not one flavor that stands out and defines the wine.  This Rose would pair well with veal, roasted chicken, or smoked pork.  In other words, it doesn't suggest summer like most Roses ... which only proves how varied the varietal really is!

You might have noticed how some of these wines do not specify that they are a Rose.  There are other ways of identifying a Rose, and some names are below.  If the names don't work, eyeball the wine.  If it isn't white or red, and it is summer time, the odds are that it is a Rose.

Name

• Pink white
• Rose
• Rosato
• Rosado
• Blush
• Vin gris
• Clairet / claret
• Oeil de Perdrix

Styles

Dry, off-dry, semi-sweet, sweet

Crisp, light, fruity, robust, savory, lean (not much fruit)

Aussie Wines: Not Just Shiraz!

I hosted this tasting, so I got to choose the wines and the region.  I am on a mission to broaden people beyond Old World wines and Yellow Tail, so I took advantage of a sale of Aussie wines and went with the below wines.  Although Australia is known for Shiraz, and their climate problems have limited production aside that varietal, we found a variety of wines to try.  One woman said these wines restored her faith in Australian wines, which felt good.  A key to finding tasty wines is keeping an open mind to wines of all regions!

Gemtree Vineyards "Monnstone", McLaren Vale 2010 - Made from the Savagnin grape, this is a light white that is not citrus-heavy.  Melon and green apple mix with citrus to offer a nice balanced flavor.  It was a group favorite!


Cape Mentelle Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc 2011- this wine was a combination of limey acid and a bit of honey.  It would go well with anything you'd eat with lime, but was not a favorite.  There was too much lime and not enough honey for most drinkers.

Yalumba Y Series Riesling 2009 - this was a drier-style Riesling, that had a slightly smoky smell and tart finish.  It was not sweet, but was not a favorite.

The Chook Sparkling Shiraz NV -  A surprise for the group, this wine had a chocolate-berry smell but had a tannic fruit flavor.  The wine makers combined different vintages for the best flavor.  For those who have never had red sparkling before, it was a good introduction.  The group finished the whole bottle!


Tatty Road Cabernet Blend 2008 - this wine was predominantly a Cabernet Sauvignon but was blended with other red wines.  It had a great smell, and great velvety feel with balanced flavors.  It had a very strong flavor, so it would probably go well with strongly flavored meat, such as a stew.

Paxton AAA Shiraz Grenache 2010 -  75% Shiraz and 25% Grenache and biodynamically grown, this wine had a fruity smell and nice, spicey flavor without being overpowering.  One woman thought it would taste good with pork chops!  It was a very good appetizing red wine, another group favorite.

Grant Burge Benchmark Shiraz 2010 - a wine with a chocolatey tannin fruit smell, the wine was smooth with a strong tinge of tannin.  It would go well with lamb dishes that have Greek flavoring.

Yalumba Bushvine  Grenache 2007 - another group favorite, this wine had a strong fruit jam bouquet and a tannin, vanilla, and fruit taste. 

Five Sparklings: More Variety Than You Expected

The first thing to know about sparkling wine is that the varietal range is as broad for sparkling as it is for red or white wines.  So if you think that sparkling wine is Prosecco and Champagne, you're really missing the range.  There are white, rose, and red sparkling wines from around the world!  One fact about sparkling wines is that very often vintners will blend vintages to retain a consistent flavor over the years.  Contrary to other wines, sparklings only have a vintage year when a the vineyard had a particularly good year, and the vintner put some of the juice aside for a vintage wine.  Most vintages are blended for the favored consistent flavor.  Sparkling wines with vintage years that are not from Portugal are going to be more expensive, because they are limited-release wines.

Below I am introducing you to five different sparkling wines.

Broadbent Vino Verde 2001, Portugal - a blend of Loureiro, Trajadura, and Arinto grapes, this is one of the best vino verde wines available from Portugal.  It is a very clear pale wine, and "verde" refers to how early the grapes were picked, not the wine color.  I smelled melon and funk (think sweaty sock) from this wine, but tasted a tangy citrus.  Some unusual notes about this wine: the flavor is very light, the alcohol content is very low, the price is very low, because Portugal subsidizes the wine industry, and the wine is made to drink quickly (not age).  These facts add up to a big recommendation: buy it for your hot summer day picnic with salads or sipping while mowing the lawn. But don't buy it for a hearty meal or formal event.

Domaine de Montbourgeau Cremant du Jura, France - Jura likes to produce sparkling wines, and in this case the vintner used Chardonnay grapes.  The color of this wine is a very light gold and I smelled pink grapefruit in the wine.  The flavor was interesting, not at all like a sparkling I am accustomed to from France.  It was not sweet or citrusy, but balanced between the two.  Its a simple wine, and for some reason, I really wanted a young and simple goat cheese with it.  It didn't have much flavor, but it could probably stand up to some baked white fish dishes -- with a light creamy sauce, but not lemon or any grilling flavor.


Lini Lambrusco Rosato 2009, Emilia Romgana, Italy - Once upon a time, America imported sickly sweet and cheap Lambrusco sparkling wines (such as Riunite).  These days, we can find a variety of Lambruscos.  This wine had a fresh smell, like newly cut grass, and light red / pink color with a visible water line.  The flavor was tart and the wine had a lot of tannin in it.  The tannin left a very dry feeling in my mouth, and overall I thought the wine would taste better with food.  Italians would tend to agree with me, as this wine is often paired with a Bolognese sauce, which would balance against the wine well.

Bruno Verdi Sangue di Guida 2011, Lombardia, Italy - produced from less common grapes, Croatina and Rara Uva, the wine had a strong strawberry and cherry smell.  The color was purpley red, and the flavor was like jam -- SWEET cherry with some tannin.  Fun facts about this wine are that it was so popular in the 13th century, that the Catholic church worried about over-consumption.  Therefore, the church named it "sangue di guida", which literally means "the blood of Judas", in order to deter heavy consumption!  If you're not scared off by the name, I'd recommend a pepper steak or spicy food with this wine, so that something with a strong flavor balances the wines jammy taste.

Blanc de blanc Brut Comelli NV, Italy - informally added at the end, information about this wine was scarce.  It was produced from Chardonnay and had a cut grass scent with a hint of yeast.  It is a tart wine that is neither citrusy nor sweet.  It tasted more like Prosecco and Champagne than any other wine this night.  It was my favorite, but I probably still wouldn't buy it; it wasn't as smooth as some cremant sparkling wines I've had, nor did it have enough of the Prosecco flavor that I like.