Rose’ is a year-round staple for me. It is versatile with food and a very nice evening beverage to enjoy all by itself. However, most wine drinkers give up on Rose’ as soon as fall arrives. The weather is a bit cooler and reds become the focus. I can’t make people drink pink when the weather turns, even though I do. That’s not to say that I don’t keep a few Rose’ on the shelf for those who are like me and drink it all year. I have a few available, but you will not find a stack of it on the sales floor. Even though it is one of the strongest categories in my department from May to September, reality strikes and sales slow way down in the Fall and Winter. I would love to change that, but I have other things to go to the mat for that are much more important to me.
However, this will not stop the sales reps from presenting Rose’ for me to purchase for the next two months. Why you ask? The companies they work for purchased a ton of Rose’ in the Spring, and now they find themselves with excess to off-load, so they send their troops out to pedal Rose’ to the retail buyers to see if they can get them to bite. It happens every year, and every year I give them a try and remind the reps that I can no longer sell Rose’ in any quantities because as I’ve stated, people just quit buying it. The funny thing is, I will get more Rose’ presented to me in September than I did in April when the Rose’ season is just about to go into full bore. I used to get frustrated by this, but now it just humors me. It doesn’t stop with Rose’ either. In the dead of winter, along comes a sales rep with a bag of samples which happen to be all whites! Once again, the distributors are looking at all the whites they bought in the summer and send their crews out to try and get rid of the excess. I’m sure they have some success, but not at my place.
I have a couple of wineries in sight for my winery of the year. This is the time when I start focusing on certain wineries to find one that will get the honor. I will start asking to taste more of their wines looking for consistency in quality and fair pricing. I am very stoked about my pick for 2018. Longship Cellars continues to put out quality juice at a fair price. Since I picked them for winery of the year, they have introduced a stellar Merlot and Grenache to their portfolio along with a Petite Sirah. All three have lived up to the quality that I have come to expect from Kyle Welch, winemaker and owner. I am very excited to see their continued success and growth in the future. Kyle and Cassie Welch are two of the nicest people you will meet. If you are headed over to Eastern Washington to check out wineries, don’t forget to put Longship Cellars down as a destination stop. Here is their website, check them out.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
