With summer now formally upon us, and picnics or outdoor meals a part of our everyday vocabulary, we often look for lighter wines, especially at lunch time. Even though our red-wine preference is for a glass with body and big flavor, we think differently about whites, and even more so when it comes to rose.
It seems as though roses are finally starting to make a real impact among American wine-drinkers, and among St. Louisans, too. John Nash, the excellent proprietor of The Wine Merchant, is a man with a fine stable of importers and a knowledgeable palate, notes that his sales in that part of the spectrum are improving. Nash also has a first-rate tip for those who serve wine with meals.
He suggests what he calls a "half-hour rule," whereby red wines go into the refrigerator for the last half-hour before the meal, while white wines come out of the refrigerator for the last half-hour before the meal. Simple, easy to remember and a benefit to wine that is served neither too warm nor too cold.
Rose wines are made from red grapes, with the lack of redness provided by taking the juice off the grape skins shortly after the press. The longer the juice is in contact with the skins, the darker color the wine will have. Therefore, the wine can show any depth of color the winemaker wants.
The best French roses come from Provence, with the basic grape usually a Grenache, sometimes a Syrah or Petite Sirah, and often a blend.
We sampled an ‘04 California rose from C. G. Di Arie, in the Sierra Foothills, north and east of Napa, that was delicious and also bore traces of every red grape that proprietors Chaim and Elisheva Gur-Arieh grow in their vineyards. Chaim, also the winemaker, says on his label that the wine begins with Zinfandel, Syrah and Petite Sirah grapes, then goes on to include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Touriga, Tempranillo, Barbera and Mourvedre. Touriga and Temopranillo are Spanish grapes, Barbera is from Italy and the others began in France.
Given the grapes, especially Mourvedre, the wine is more red than pink, but it definitely is not a red wine. We drank it chilled, with an Italian bread-tomato-tuna salad, and it was similar to a light pinot noir. Not much sign of wood, but crisp, bright flavors. It’s in the $13 range.
And a few other recent tastings:
Robert Mondavi 2004 ($18) Fume Blanc: Bursts of citrus in a crisp, tasty white with overtiones of mineral. Delicious and splendid with fish, especially oysters on the half-shell.
Dry Creek 2004 ($12) Fume Blanc: Heavieron the minerals, but with excellent balance and fine complexity.
Joseph Phelps 2004 ($25) Napa Sauvignon Blanc: Delicious, with crisp grapefruit and pineapple notes and enough acid to make it very easy drinking. Sllightly expensive, but the Phelps label means quality.
Zaca Mesa 2005 ($17) Santa Ynez Viognier: A brilliant wine, with the barest hint of sweetness yet with sufficient acid to keep it from becoming cloying. Perfect as a pre-meal aperitif, or for dessert.
-Joe
Comments