The Wine Curmudgeon has bad news for those of you who go out of your way to ignore rose – the statistics say rose sales are up. Lots, even.
Wine drinkers, as part of an overall shift away from oakier, more alcoholic wines, are turning to rose. This is especially true of younger wine drinkers, who see rose for what it is – cheap, well made and food friendly.
Which offers hope for my otherwise cranky outlook. I’ve been preaching the gospel of rose for years, but rose posts are always among the blog’s worst read items. Maybe not this year, and especially not for the annual rose roundup in honor of Memorial Day and the start of summer. More, after the jump:
Check out the blog’s rose primer, which talks about styles, how the wine gets its pink color, and the like. Consider the following roses when it’s time to buy, and don’t forget to search the blog’s rose category for more idea:
• Goats do Roam Rose 2011 ($10, purchased, 13.5%). This South African wine is a fine value, with strawberry and cranberry fruit. More like a European rose, crisp and less fruity than its New World cousins.
• Cortijo III Rosado 2011 ($10, purchased, 12.5%): Spanish rose is up to its usual standards -- cranberry fruit and long, stony finish. In other words, the kind of wine that gives $10 wine a good name.
• Azienda Agriverde Piane de Maggio 2011 ($10, purchased, 12.4%): Italian wine is not a typical rose, which is one of its charms. Look for cherry fruit with some stoniness, both of which make it very food friendly.
• Dourthe La Grande Cuvee 2010 ($9, purchased): Dourthe’s wines are always dollar correct, and this older vintage was no exception. Current vintage should be the same: a pleasant, dry rose in the French style.
More about Memorial Day and rose:
• Memorial Day and rose, 2012
• Memorial Day and rose, 2011
• Wine review: Charles & Charles Rose 2011
• Catfish meuniere, Randall Grahm, and Spy Valley
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