Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Blog 2010.01: Rosé - It's Not Just For Summer...

For our first wine blog, we decided to talk about an under-utilized and sometimes misunderstood type of wine - rosé. Here are two typical misconceptions we have observed:

  1. "Rosés are sweet" - This is only partly true in that it applies to White Zinfandel and dessert wines, like a Pink Moscato.
  2. "Rosés are only good as summer aperitifs" - Again, partly true, because of the word "only". They can be much more than that, and that's the subject of this issue.

Ah, summer...Picture this scenario...It's late afternoon of a warm & sunny day and you've just cleaned up from a hard day's work of gardening and landscaping. You plop down in a comfy chair on your patio to watch the sunset and start groovin' on some tunes by Jerry G & The Gr8ful D or streamin' some rock & blues classics by those Musicheads at The Album Station. Now it's time for the big decision - What to drink (after a big glass of water, of course...)?

Of the items in our libation arsenal, a rosé comes up quite often - American, French, Italian, Australian, South African...it doesn't matter. A rosé oozes happiness and sunshine. It is thirst quenching and flavorful - thoroughly satisfying. To describe the flavor profile in a word - STRAWBERRY. Some are more herbally, minty or minerally, but strawberry is always there. No matter what country, no matter what grape variety, there is always a glimmer of strawberry. Why? Don't know...go ask the experts!

But a rosé can be much more than a summer quaffer. It is maximum food-friendly. Light enough for most seafood, yet bold enough for most meat dishes, and perfect for salads (as long as they are not overly vinegared). Just recently, we had some guests order the following for dinner - wild boar sausage & spicy sea scallop appetizers with arctic char & roasted duck mains. They asked for our recommendation and out came a sparkling rosé (see below for details). While it may not have been the perfect match for the individual dishes, it worked well for the whole, and the palate-cleansing characteristic of the bubbles was a bonus.

And here's an added bonus...Now is a great time to check your favorite wine shop for any remaining rosés in stock. Since the next vintage will be coming out shortly, you may be able to get a good deal to "help" move inventory (what a pleasant way to lend a hand...). While the shelf-life of rosé is not tremendous, anything you purchase should be fine for near term consumption. FYI, we have some 2007's that are still pouring quite well.

Without further ado, here are some interesting rosés to have fun with:

  • Azienda Agricola Provenza "Chiaretto",
    Garda DOC Classico, Garda (Lombardia), Italy, 2007


    A unique blend of Barbera, Groppello, Marzemino and Sangiovese grapes from Italy's northern lake region
    Distributor - Vermont Wine Merchants

  • Château Grande Cassagne,
    Costières de Nimes AC, St-Gilles (The Midi), France, 2008


    Primarily Syrah. A fine example of rosé in the French tradition. This is the wine that made us converts to rosé!
    Distributor - Vermont Wine Merchants

  • Casal Garcia "Rosé",
    Vinho Verde DOC, Penafiel, Portugal, 2008


    Vinho Verdes are always light, fizzy and fun. This one just takes it to another level, at a very reasonable price. You can't go wrong with this offering!
    Distributor - Vermont Wine Merchants

  • Foss Marai "Roös Spumante Brut",
    Guia di Valdobbiadene (Veneto), Italy, NV


    Primarily Prosecco with a dose of Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Cabernet Sauvignon for extra color and flavor. Comes in a beautifully molded bottle of award-winning design to complete the package. This is the wine we served at the dinner mentioned above. Delizioso e unico!
    Distributor - Farrell Distributing Corporation

  • Graham Beck "Brut Rosé",
    Franschhoek, South Africa, NV


    A blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. We served this one to our dinner guests on New Year's Eve. The food-friendly nature of this sparkling rosé made it a slam-dunk for the diverse range of flavors presented on that evenings special menu...Thanks go to Joerg Klauck for suggesting this wine!
    Distributor - Vermont Wine Merchants

  • Buehler Vineyards,
    Napa Valley AVA, St. Helena, California, 2007


    Yes folks, a White Zinfandel. While we are not big fans of this style, this particular wine does have some real Zinfandel berry character. And, it is estate grown, unlike most of it's competition. If you like White Zin, you owe it to yourself to try it. It also makes a great poaching medium, and we've even made a refreshing sorbet from it!
    Distributor - Vermont Wine Merchants


And there you have it. Now go out, get some rosé, and have some fun...and don't wait for summer to get here to do it...

CHEERS!!!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Welcome To Our Wine Blog!

Welcome to our new wine blog...

Why are we doing this? As Vermont innkeepers who manage a licensed restaurant, we are very fortunate to be able to incorporate our hobby and passion for wine into our business. This has allowed us to taste a tremendous number of wines - from fantastic to awful - far more than we would ever have tasted as non-innkeepers.

We thought it would be fun to share our "information gathering" with our friends and guests, hence the creation of this blog!

What makes us qualified to do this? The simply answer is - nothing...We are not sommeliers nor tasting experts - we just love wine! As we go forward, here a some things that you won't find in future issues:

  • Complex tasting notes with daunting descriptions of aroma and flavor profiles. If you want those, read Robert Parker's "Wine Advocate", Jancis Robinson's "Purple Pages", Marvin Shanken's "Wine Spectator" or any of Hugh Johnson's wine guides. This is not a slam on any of them - they are well-respected wine professionals and we are indebted to them for their contributions to the wine world. They are all great sources of information regarding wine, and we would look like fools if we tried to tread on their turf! Admittedly, we do have a hard time relating to some of their tasting notes, such as "hints of petrol", "nose of eucalyptus & tar", "nicely balanced smoke, earth, flint & slate", "chewy leather & cedar" and - our personal favorite - "aromas of wet wool & cat's pee"...Yummy...just makes you want to go out and buy a case.
  • A Weathertop Rating System. Again, we'll leave that to the professionals. Our philosophy is "90 Points is a State of Mind". Whatever you enjoy - drink it!
  • Reviews of 5o-year old Grand Cru Bordeaux. We can't afford it, so what would be the point? Only the pros get complimentary pours of these bad boys...
  • Reviews of high-volume, generic stuff (aka Yellow Tail...). If you like it, great, but you don't need us to talk about it. We want to highlight the stuff that, for not much more money, can put you in a different league. And the joy of finding those bargains is extremely satisfying!

We plan to keep it simple and, hopefully for you, enjoyable. We encourage you to go out to your favorite wine shop and purchase some of the wines we mention in future issues. Send us your comments - we'd love to hear what others think of our choices! We'd also love to hear about some of your personal favorites. After all, experiencing new wines is the whole point of this exercise.

For any wine we discuss, we will tell you the name of the distributor from whom we purchase. That way, if you don't see it on the shelf at your favorite wine shop, you'll be able to tell them where they can purchase the product for you (assuming you live in Vermont or frequent a shop in Vermont...). According to Joerg Klauck of Vermont Wine Merchants, one of our favorite wine-exclusive distributors, most wine shops are happy to place custom orders for loyal customers, though you may have to contend with some order minimums.

Stay tuned for our first installment and, as always,

CHEERS!