Rose`, Rose`, Rose`… Rose` is the hottest trend in wine today, at least from the perspective of my wine department. I’ve mentioned it in the past, but this summer it has been on fire. Of course, everyone is fixated on the pale pink dry versions. However, I’ve noticed some are venturing out and trying darker versions. This is good, because color does not always dictate the quality of the juice. There are many pale versions of Rose` particularly out of Spain that I find quite funky and would not put out on the sales floor. I know there are a few of you out there that like the funk, but I’m not willing to risk valuable floor space as an experimental stage to see if I can move funky Rose`. Some of the best Rose` I have ever tried have been from Tavel. Primarily made with the Grenache grape with Mourvedre thrown in the mix, they are much darker than most, they are meaty and dry. I’ve read that some estates in this region of the Rhone Valley (on the south-western side of the Rhone near Lirac) are starting to produce lighter versions. That’s OK by me, but I still love the dark, meaty, food friendly Rose` that Tavel is known for. If you can get your hands on some, give it a try and I have a feeling you will be hooked.
My pick of the month for August, proudly displayed at the end of the aisle at the store is a complete surprise pick for me. It is a Cotes-du-Rhone blanc of which I am normally not a big fan. Most tend to be quite boring with little acidity and a lot of Grenache Blanc. The Brunel De La Gardine breaks the mold in my opinion. It has a lot of Roussanne and Viognier, which I think makes a huge difference. It also has a very cool bottle, and someone who is in the wine biz and liked it quite a bit, wondered how they made any money on this wine. Shipped from France, an odd-shaped bottle and only twelve bucks. I wonder myself, but I am more than happy to sell it at that price and buy a few for myself. Cool thing is, I had a bottle open for just over 6 hours and it just got better. I suggest you find a bottle of this for yourself and I believe you will understand my excitement.
As far as my You Tube channel goes, I have struggled getting episodes out there sheerly because of the busy summer months. I know excuses are like belly buttons, everyone has one. The reality is, for me to produce two episodes a week of good quality, I need time and a free stage to do it. Time is scarce this time of yea, therefore I am looking for some creative ways to make more. Please don’t give up on me. I am committed to my channel and I will get content out there soon. In fact, I am getting ready to shoot a couple of episodes on the Location wines by Dave Phinny of Orin Swift fame and a couple more on canned wines. You should see those out there in a couple of weeks.
The big news for Susie and I, is she has excepted my marriage proposal. We are getting married in October and are very excited. We have traveled the world together, we get along famously, and I have never met a person of the opposite sex that I gel with as well as Susie. We both love each other deeply and are more than ready to spend the rest of our days together. Some of her close friends from England have said they are planning to attend. Susie and I are so happy to have her friends make this huge effort to attend this special day. As all of you know, Susie loves her sparkling wine, and we have decided to go with Graham Beck (South Africa) as our featured bubbly for the event. We discovered it on our trip to South Africa and both loved it. We often talk about our trip there and are thinking that we may have to go back sometime soon. Time will tell.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
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