Wednesday, January 12, 2011

A Rosé Is A Rosé Is A Rosé

I have to admit, I am a rosé novice. Rosé wines were not even on my radar until about a year ago…unless you count white zinfandel. While browsing the wine selection on our Costco, I came across a rosé by Francis Coppola’s Sofia line. It was very good (though not on par with my theme of bargain wines) so I started my quest to find rosés that fit into my budget better.


I have tried a few rosé wines over the past year and I have even posted about one or two in past posts. While browsing my local Total Wine looking for inspiration for my next post, I spotted a rosé by Goats Do Roam (more on why that attracted me in a bit) and realized I had found my next topic. I scoured the aisles for a couple more and off I went.

The Goats Do Roam rosé was the first one I tried. As many of you know, I am a fan of Zane Lamprey and I contribute to his online magazine, Drinking Made Easy (the link is on my sidebar).  I found out about Goats Do Roam from his Cape Town, South Africa episode of "Three Sheets."  It’s produced by the Fairview Winery and Zane sampled the red which was very similar to France’s Côtes du Rhône, hence the play on the name since goats roam all over the winery property. I have also tried the red which is very good. I figured I may as well give the rosé a shot. I picked the 2010 rosé which is a blend of 40% Syrah for body, 31% Grenache for fruit, 17% Gamay Noir for freshness and 12% Mourvèdre for spice. It cost $8.49. The grapes come mostly from Fairview though some are harvested from Swartland and Piekenierskloof. The wine was a vibrant pink with the aroma of fresh summer strawberries. It was very fruity on the palate and slightly sweet. It was very refreshing. My husband tried it as well and we both decided it would go on the list of wines to buy again.

The second rosé I sampled was an organic 2009 Reserve Rosé by Chateau de Nages Costieres de Nimes Rouge from the South of France. You may recognize that name from my post on organic wines here. This rosé is a blend of 70% Genache and 30% Syrah and cost $9.99. The wine was a beautiful rose color, very appropriate for the variety. It had bright aromas of berries with some citrus. It was very crisp on the palate with hints of citrus and nice light finish. I think it would be a delightful summer wine. I sampled it alone but the bottle suggests pairing it with pasta, salads, grilled fish or even cold cuts. This too went on the list of wines to buy again.

The last rosé I sampled was by Anakena which is located in the Rapel Valley of Chile. In my post on bargain Sauvignon Blancs, I said that theirs was one of my most economical go to’s. And their rosé will go on that list as well. This was a 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé that cost $7.99. You can’t beat that price. It was a vibrant pink, much like the one by Goats Do Roam. I detected aromas of spice and plum. On the palate, it was quite smooth with flavors of red berries. It was a bit drier than the other 2 but not overly so. The bottle recommended it as an aperitif or paired with white meats or salads.

I have decided that my list of favorite wines now goes like this: white wines (specifically Sauvignon Blanc), Rosé wines and then red wines. I do think that rosés are perfect for summer drinking so once the weather warms up, go out and try a few!