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The rich history of Sauvignon Blanc may surprise you, and the advances in winemaking offer up sleek, complex and delicious examples of this age-old favorite companion to the passage of winter to spring. To read more about Sauvignon Blancs click here!

One of the most entertaining and informative wine writers around, please check out: Jennifer Rosen!

Rosé & Explosives
It's a guy thing;

Jennifer Rosen, "The Cork Jester"

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Straddling the Pyrenees at the junction of Spain and France is Basque country. The Basque language, a great puzzle to linguists, is unrelated to anything on earth. The Basque are a proudly defiant people, fond of demanding their independence and blowing things up. A favorite national drink there is Kalimotxo, a mixture of Coca Cola and bad red wine. The traditional recipe is very specific on that point: the wine must be really bad. As my local source (we’ll call him Deep Basquet) describes it, Kalimotxo is, “A cheap drink, to take in great quantity, that causes important headaches.”

Less important, but far harder on the stomach, is Pitilingorri, a blend of lemonade and bad rosé, traditionally made when supermarkets are out of red wine.

Without the lemonade, rosé holds an important place in the Basque ritual of “Poteo,” which consists of visiting as many bars as possible in one night and drinking a glass at each one. “At the end of the street you'll probably feel not right at all, just see your friends and you'll notice this is totally normal,” explains DB. Anything stronger than rosé, it seems, would make you feel twice again as not right. Poteo is strictly a male affair; females (Basquettes,) are not welcome. But they don’t mind, because the fact is that Poteo, “is not bad or reprochably, just an old tradition of our Basque ancestors that has to be keeped.”

Despite this rough-and-tumble role for rosé, outside of Basque country many people still have the impression that pink wine is strictly for the ladies. They would have you believe if a guy drinks pink he is somehow less of a man. These people are correct

But only if he’s drinking that insipid faux-zé known as blush. The word was coined here in the 60s and has come to refer to those low-acid, soft, sweet soda-pops exemplified by whitezinfandel. Now perhaps you started with white zin. You might even still like it. That’s fine. It simply means you haven’t been introduced to anything better.

Because while pink might be the color of blushing babies and tea-roses, in the case of rosé it signifies something else entirely: red wine with its shirt off. Just as you jettison the tie and jacket and put on those absurdly long shorts when the weather gets warm, red grapes are separated from their skin—where the color resides. This results in a less tannic, but still very flavorful wine. Think of rosé as a lighter version of your favorite red--merlot, syrah or grenache—like a seasonal oil change from 5W30 to 10W40.

Good rosé is dry, not sweet. Served chilled, it bursts with summer-fresh fruit and refreshingly zingy acid. It matches beautifully with food. No worries if you throw chicken, fish and ribs on the grill. Rosé can take them all on without breaking a sweat.

Apparently, Americans are finally getting the message. Rosé sales were up 45% last year, making it one of the hottest growth segments in wine. What happened? Did we turn into a bunch of pansies? Or Basques? No, it’s just that all those kids we’ve been medicating for ADD have grown up and become wine drinkers. Unlike your grandpa, who drank the same brand all the days of his life, these consumers crave change. They’ve raced through New Zealand sauvignon blanc and Spanish garnacha and now they’re ready for a new experience. Rosé fits the bill.

Plus it comes with an appealing price tag. You can probably get more pink wine for your buck than any other color. And there are so many good ones from all over. France and Spain are leaders, but virtually all countries pump it out. One reason is a recent glut of red grapes. When the public cant’t take any more cabernet, producers make it pink.

Since vibrant, fresh fruit is the point, rosé is at its best drunken young. Watch out for higher-alcohol versions; they can be heavy rather than refreshing. On the other hand, they might also result in that important headache, so prized in Basque country. So next time you find yourself thinking—Does this wine make me look gay? just make like a Basque and blow something up.

Recommended:

Marques de Caceres Rosado, Rioja 2006 (Spain) $9
Vina La Rosa La Palma Rosé 2005 (Chile) $9
Bieler Pere et Fils Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence 2006 (France) $10
Cantele Negroamaro Rosato 2005 (Italy) $10
Julian Chivite Gran Feudo Rosé Navarra 2005 (Spain) $10
Barkan Classic Samson Israel Shiraz Rosé 2005 (Israel) $12
Curtis Heritage Series Santa Barbara County Rosé 2005 (USA) $12
Vina Robles Roseum 2006 (USA) $13
Hogue Terroir Columbia Valley Sangiovese Rosé 2006 (USA) $14
Simi Sonoma Roseto 2006 (USA)$15
Fra Guerau Monsant Rosé 2005 (Spain) $13

Featured:

SoloRosa California Rosé 2006 (USA) $14

Bone dry, and bursting with watermelon, strawberry and cherry flavors, plus a squirt of tangerine acidity. Always one of my favorite rosés, it’s like diving into a cool brook on a hot day, only you don’t have to worry about getting your hair wet.

The "Pinot Grigio Affair" Jennifer Rosen implores: Relax, Go Deeper!
Jennifer Rosen, "The Cork Jester"

Monday, Feb. 19th, 2007

Relax & Go Deeper
Why am I drinking Pinot Grigio, or is it Pinot Gris?

          I get the feeling someone put America in a trance and planted the post-hypnotic suggestion: “Switch to Pinot Grigio.” The fastest-growing white in the country, bigger, even, than white zin, PG is in everyone’s glass these days, but no one seems to know why.

Typical comments: “I like Pinot Grigio, right? And remind me, why do I like it?”

           And, “Pinot Grigio…um, it’s something to do with fresh breezes and things growing, I think.”

Responsibility for this voodoo goes partly to Italy’s Santa Margherita winery. Paterno Imports fell for the brand in the 1970’s and has built it into the leading imported white by way of, for all I know, subliminal marketing.

As for you, do you, should you like it and if so, why? Yes, you should like it and you will.. But only if you pick the right style for you, because this grape wears a lot of different hats.

While it kicks ass at the entry level, replacing Chardonnay as the new generic name for white, that’s only one facet. PG is also capable of being complex, rich, even age-worthy.

Called Rulander in Germany as well as a hundred other names around the world, PG is part of the somewhat dysfunctional Pinot family, so named for its tight little grape clusters that resemble pine cones. While you may know its red sibling, Pinot Noir, or its little sister, Pinot Blanc, what you probably don’t know is that this is the mutatingest variety ever to hit a vineyard. Plant one and you might get the other, or half and half, all on one vine.

Grigio, or the French version, gris, means gray. This refers to the fact that the skins are neither black nor white. Now, considering black (noir) grapes are actually red, and white (blanc) grapes are yellow, you won’t be surprised to learn that gray grapes are actually pinkish brown. A sort of rosé on the vine. In fact, PG often hints toward reddish-gold in the glass.

A step-child of the world-famous Pinot Noir vineyards of Burgundy, PG migrated further north to Alsace, right across the river from the great Riesling vineyards of Germany. Alsatians make kind of a cult of producing a viscous, almost oily PG, oozing with buttered-toast and honey aromas plus dizzying amounts of alcohol. Exceeded only by their dizzying prices—easily $50 - $100.

Oregon pioneered this cool-climate grape in America. Labeled sometimes Grigio, sometimes Gris, their version is medium-bodied, crisp, and strong on fruit flavors and aromas.

Italy, meanwhile, cranks out oceans of thin, unripe, overcropped Grigio for thirsty American zombies. But they also make another kind.

High up on the thigh of Italy's boot perch the Alpine regions of Friuli and Alto Adige. Their climates produce wonderful freshness and acidity in wine, but even more important are the producers. A unique breed, they're the product of a cultural blender of changing borders, alliances and ideologies, tramped through by Julius Caesar, the crusaders, Napoleon and two World Wars. Like many survivors, they tend to be practical, flexible, independent thinkers.

While half of Italy clings stubbornly to winemaking traditions, and the other half chucks them all for test-tubes in a sterile lab, these guys try a little of everything. A single azienda might be experimenting all at once with enormous stainless steel tanks, small Slovenian oak barrels and clay amphorae buried in the earth.

The resulting wine is rich and complex, with tangy acidity, shot through with stony minerality. To find it, scan the Italian shelves for out-of place German and Slavic names: Jermann, Attems, Hofstatter, Tiefen brunner, Kupelwieser, Primosic, Princic and Damijan to name a few.

Whatever the country, most PG’s share a generous perfume of flowers as well as melons, apples, pears and tropical fruits, all wrapped up in the rich, silky texture of a satin sheet.

Most are best drunk young. But older folks enjoy them too. Just a little syntax trick to distract your conscious mind while I engage your unconscious. As you chase that thought, you might notice how heavy your eyelids are getting and how the sound of my voice helps you relax deeply and comfortably into that chair….

When you wake up, you’ll have no memory of this. But you’ll have a compelling desire for Pinot Grigio.

Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio Alto Adige, 2005 (Italy) $13
Kupelwieser Pinot Grigio Alto Adige, 2005 (Italy) $13
Livio Felluga Esperto PG 2005 (Italy) $14
Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, 2005 (Italy) $15.
Jermann Venezia Giulia Friuli 2005 (Italy) $25

Luna Vineyards PG Napa Valley 2005 (California) $15
King Estate Pinot Gris Willamette Valley 2005 (Oregon) $15
Cristom Willamette Valley 2004 (Oregon) $19
Chehalem PG Willamette Valley 2005 (Oregon) $20
F.E. Trimbach Tokay Pinot Gris Reserve 2002 (France) $20

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Relax & Go Deeper
Why am I drinking Pinot Grigio, or is it Pinot Gris?

The umami of miso lifts Chardonnay

Relax & Go Deeper Why am I drinking Pinot Grigio, or is it Pinot Gris?

The umami of miso lifts Chardonnay

Relax & Go Deeper
Why am I drinking Pinot Grigio, or is it Pinot Gris?