I often go to these great wine dinners at the Ritz called Phenomenal Femmes. They always feature a few wines made by a female winemaker, who comes to the dinner to talk about each of the wines we drink with incredible courses. Last week’s winery was Quintessa, an established winery in Napa whose winemaker is … Continue reading
We’ve made it all the way to the #1 rosé of the summer: Chateau d’Oupia! Man, this is a KILLER rosé! Absolute perfect balance of fresh strawberry and raspberry juice with an excellent nerve of minerality. So I’m sampling and sipping away and thinking this is probably in the $20 or even $30 range. But … Continue reading
Why mess with the good stuff? Charles & Charles is always one of my go-to rosés. The blend of Syrah (72%), Mourvedre (8%), Cabernet Sauvignon (8%), Grenache (6%), Cinsault (3%), Counoise (3%) gives it vibrant strawberry, light cherry and and easy drinking goodness. Perfectly delicious at the perfect price – $13.99 here. Continue reading
Today Rosé Week takes us to Tuscany with our 3rd summer selection! Castello di Bossi is one of those savory rosés that goes great with food. 70% Sangiovese and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon make it heartier than other rosés, and this one has earthy and herbal notes. Kinda better with dinner rather than porch pounding. (16.99 … Continue reading
#4 in our Rosé Week countdown is suuuch a good one! This Balletto ($20.99 here) from Russian River Valley is made from Pinot Noir – hands down one of my favorite rosé-making grapes. They’re really light and refreshing, but still have a lot of strawberry fruit and the best ones balance that with great acidity … Continue reading
In grapefriend’s long-standing tradition (ok, three years – and counting), Rosé Week is back in action! In past summers we’ve gone through how rosé is made, what songs it pairs best with, and which celebrities are making the pink. I’ve tasted over 75 of them since June, so this year we’re getting back to basics and … Continue reading
grape: Trebbiano di Lugana. Trebbiano is one of the most widely planted grapes in the world because it’s used for cognac, but there are lots of subtypes and a crazy amount of confusing information about all their genetics. Anyway, the Lugana type is from that region in Italy. producer: Ottella country: Italy region: Lugana, in the Veneto region. A small … Continue reading
grape: What they call a Bordeaux blend – a mix of grapes that are used in Bordeaux. In this case, you have 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. producer: V Sattui country: USA region: Napa year: 2010. Could definitely have used a few more years, but opened it by accident. (See below.) yum factor: My mom … Continue reading
grape: Pinot Noir, one of the two grapes that Sonoma’s known for (the other is Chardonnay) producer: Gary Farrell, classic Sonoma producer. Gary started his own winery in 1982 but is no longer involved. Now winemaker Theresa Heredia has taken the reins. She’s super smart – got a degree in Biochemistry, but when she saw … Continue reading
grape: Merlot. It gets a bad rap from Sideways, but it’s an excellent grape that just got overdone. Revisit some good ones and you’ll get why it got so popular in the first place. producer: Emmolo. This is a relatively new wine line made by Jenny Wagner, who’s the daughter of the Caymus winemaker. We were at … Continue reading
