The Wine Curmudgeon

Labor Day wine 2011

It's OK to drink wine over the Labor Day weekend. Really. The beer police won't come and arrest you. Holiday picnics and back porch barbecues usually mean lighter wines, and I've offered several suggestions below. But, assuming this summer's heat wave is ending where you are, Labor day also marks the return of bigger red wines, like cabernet sauvignon or merlot -- not bad with ribs or burgers.

The Wine Curmudgeon will spend this weekend at the Kerrvile Wine & Music Festival, where I'll participate in a couple of panel discussions about Texas wine. It's one of my favorite wine events, and the music isn't bad, either. Stop by and say hello:

• Cortijo III Rose 2010 ($10, purchased): A solid and dependable Spanish rose, with more fruit (strawberry and watermelon) than most of its brethren but a bit of heft to remind you that it's still Spanish.

• Paul Cheneau Blanc de Blanc Brut NV ($15, purchased): This, along with a cava from Bodegas Sumarroca, were much better than the food at a Sunday lunch at a Dallas tapas restaurant. Very, very well done Spanish bubbly, with lots of tight bubbles. Highly recommended.

• Tormaresca Roycello Salento 2010 ($22, sample): This Italian white has lots of stone fruit (peaches) and a very floral aroma, similar to viognier (though it's made with fiano, a little known grape, even in its native Italy). It makes for a soft, relaxing wine that is very different from the usual sort of Italian low-fruit, acid-driven labels.

For more on Labor Day wine:
• Labor Day wine 2010
• Fourth of July wine 2011
• Wine of the week: La Fiera Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2009
• Wine of the week: Marietta Old Vine Red Lot Number 53

Wine of the week: Pedroncelli Dry Rose of Zinfandel 2009

The Wine Curmudgeon used to eat at a Dallas restaurant where the wine list was, to put it politely, pretty sad. This is not uncommon, of course, since too many restaurant owners tend see wine as an aggravation and not a way to please customers (and yes, I know I promised to write something about this, and it's still on the agenda).

It was frustrating that the wine list had very little anyone would want to drink, since I liked the food and the prices were reasonable. Fortunately, the Pedronceilli rose was on the list, and I drank a lot of it. Like almost every time I ate at the restaurant.

And why not? The rose ($10, purchased) paired with the food that I ordered and it was cheap, especially for restaurant wine. Best yet, the wine was -- and still is -- well made, with some cranberry and currant fruit, a bit of juiciness in the middle, and even some heft. This is not a light rose, but one with body, and it's almost as if there are tannins lurking in the back to remind you this is a dry wine and not that pinkish, sweet stuff. Pedroncelli is a fourth-generation California winemaker, and the family takes great care with what it does -- quality wine at good prices. The chardonnay is worth trying, too.

Chill this (especially this summer) and drink it on its own or with any summer food -- burgers and barbecued chicken come to mind. And be glad that one long ago restaurant owner had the good sense to have one quality wine on his list.

Wine review: Hey Mambo Kinky Pink 2010

Why has the Wine Curmudgeon been writing so many reviews of wines lately that are difficult to find? After all, one of my reasons for being is that I don't write about wines that aren't generally available. But it's not my fault. Honest. Blame the the three-tier system, because each of the wines that I reviewed should be generally available.

That includes the Kinky Pink ($12, sample). It was going to be a wine of the week, because it's that well done. But the wine isn't available in the Dallas area (and no, special orders from one retailer don't count), and a wine can't be a wine of the week if it's not for sale in the ninth-largest city in the country.

But it's worth writing about, because the Kinky Pink manages to do something that few California roses do -- it's dry, it's affordable, and the packaging will get the attention of people who don't normally buy rose. Look for a bit of cranberry fruit, no off flavors, and not a hint of sweetness. It's made with pinot noir, and bears a strong resemblance to the way the Toad Hollow rose has traditionally tasted.

Don't relegate this to summer wine, because it would work all year round with lighter red wine food and most white wine foods that don't have a cream sauce. And it's too bad that it's not for sale here; I'd buy some.

Mini-reviews 26: Fat Bastard, Sangre de Toro, Irony, Carmel Road

Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the final Friday of each month.

• Fat Bastard Chardonnay 2010 ($10, purchased): Much oakier than I remember it being, but it has been three or four years since I tasted it. That said, it's mostly balanced, and is a value if you can find at this price (though the suggested retail is $12).

• Sangre de Toro Rose 2010 ($10, sample): Very disappointing. Flabby, almost sweet, and without any of the freshness or fun that rose should have. I expect more from Sangre de Toro.

• Irony Pinot Noir 2009 ($14, sample): Doesn't taste much like pinot noir, with a big burst of sweet red fruit in the middle. But since it was probably made to taste that way, it's difficult to criticize it for not tasting like pinot noir.

• Carmel Road Chardonnay 2009 ($18, purchased): Comes from Monterrey, so that means less oakiness and more tell-tale green apple fruit and acid. The question: Is it a value at this price?

Mini-reviews 25: Moet, El Coto, Martin Codax, Pecorino

Reviews of wines that don’t need their own post, but are worth noting for one reason or another. Look for it on the final Friday of each month. This month, a couple of roses to close out rose week.

• Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Brut Rosé 2002 ($80, sample): Classic in style, with lots of acid and fantastic bubbles. Could probably age for a couple of years more to give the fruit a chance to show. A fine gift for someone who appreciates Champagne.

• El Coto Rioja Rosado 2010 ($10, sample): Much more New World than Spanish in style, with lots more fruit (strawberry) than a Spanish rose would have. Having said that, it's still dry and a fine, simple, fresh rose for summer.

• Martín Códax Albariño 2009 ($15, sample): Spanish white had lemon fruit and was a little fresher than usual, which was welcome. But it's still $2 or $3 more than similar wines.

• Cantina Tollo Pecorino 2009 ($16, purchased): This white was bright and Italian, which means not that much fruit (pears?), balanced acid, and long mineral finish. Highly recommended.

Memorial Day and rose, 2011

Memorial Day weekend means it's time for the annual rose post -- where you won't have to spend much more than $10 to have a good time.

Surprisingly, despite the weak dollar and the passage of all that time, that price point hasn’t changed since the Wine Curmudgeon started writing an annual rose piece almost 10 years ago. There are still dozens of terrific roses that cost $10 or so from all over the world. The one thing that has changed? The quality of rose keeps getting better, and it’s unusual to find a poorly made rose (something that wasn’t necessarily true 10 years ago).

What you need to know about rose -- after the jump:

Wine of the week: Toad Hollow Pinot Noir Rose 2010

The Wine Curmudgeon appreciated this wine the first time he tasted it, in those long ago days of newspaper wine columns. It's cheap, it's consistent, and it comes from a producer that cares about the quality of its inexpensive wine. What's not to like?

However, I have neglected to review the Toad Hollow ($10, purchased) in the blog's three-plus years of existence (though it is an original member of the $10 Hall of Fame). So let's remedy this now as we celebrate rose wine on the blog this week; my annual rose preview will run tomorrow.

Look for lots of strawberry and acid to complement the fruit, which has always been a Toad Hollow trademark. The wine seemed a bit sweeter this vintage than in the past couple, though that may have been because it had not been in the bottle long enough for all of its bits to come together (a wine geek would describe a young wine like that as a little shocky).

Update: I did a little checking, and the wine is noticably sweeter than usual this year. That's disappointing, because this has always been one of the great dry roses produced in the U.S. It probably won't stay in the Hall of Fame.