Rosé All Summer

May 25, 2021

With Memorial Day just around the corner and summer getting off to a start, there is no way I’m not doing a blog entry on rosé. My oh my, there are so many different kinds of rosés out there. This week I’m going to discuss some new arrivals that we’re loving at the moment.

For some odd reason (I think because of the plethora of bad wine in this world) a lot of people still think that rosés are sweet. Thankfully, at the shop I’m almost positive we do not carry a single sweet rosé. However, rosé can have a vast range in how many fresh fruity notes come through in the expression of the wine. Sometimes that fruity-ness is associated with a psychological perception of sweetness, even in rosés that are bone-dry. It’s kind of like a trick your olfactory plays on your mind because you’re so used to associating those fresh fruit flavors with sweetness in fruit. Just remember, you can have a wine with extreme fruity character without any sugar involved.

That said, there are three wines I want to recommend for you to try to expand your palate a little in the rosé realm. The first is a rosé of Pinot Noir produced by Presqu’ile out of the Santa Maria Valley of the Central Coast. This rosé is absolutely stunning and is great both with and without food. Made from 100% Pinot Noir, you get classic ripe cherry notes and bright acidity in the palate. It’s a very, very stunning wine for the money. Not overly complex but it hits every mark you want in a refreshing, inexpensive wine. Rosé from Pinot Noir is a lot less common here in the States than it is in the Loire Valley of France. But when done right its gorgeous. This one is a stunner for $23.99. And it’s organic!

Another bottle I’ve really enjoyed of recent is the 2020 Triennes Rose from the IGP Var off the southern coast of France. This being very Provence in style, it’s a standout for me because it’s kind of difficult to strike a reliable Provence-style rosé at a decent price-point. This one retails for $16.99 and it is most certainly a winner. Not an overly complex wine but just a simple winner. Much less vibrant and a little more rich in style than Presqu’ile’s rosé of Pinot Noir, I recommend having the Triennes rose with food. Especially hard cheese. Stone fruits like white plum and peach, strawberries and cream, and a chalky minerality all are very present in this wine. Again though, no sugar at all – this wine is bone-dry. Just fruity and fresh and downright delicious!

For the last feature there is an oddity from Piedmont, Italy that I’ve been sipping a whole lot lately. It’s a rosé of mostly Nebbiolo (with a splash of Barbera) from Langhe, Piedmont produced by the Tenuta Carretta winery. The wine is called ‘Cereja’ which is a Piedmontese word used as a warm greeting, and I can vouch, the wine is aptly named! I can honestly say I’ve never tasted a rosé with this type of character and for that reason it really blew me away. Pomegranate, fresh cut green leaves, peppery spice, lime, chili spice.. I mean just really really complex. We also might be the only retailer in California that carries it? Come check it out. Especially if fish tacos are on the menu. $17.99 a bottle!