Monday, April 20, 2009

It's Time to Start Buying Up Rose Wines for Summer

The sale of dry rose has gone crazy the last few years. Yes, pink wine is hot again but this is no white zinfandal. I intend on writing one of my newspaper columns about Rose' in the near future so I'll save the facts and figures for that!

By the way, if you click on the link at the left of this posting - the "Grape Sense" link takes you to all of my newspaper columns.

I opened a 2006 Cruz de Piedra 2006 Garnacha Rosada - or Rose tonight. I had this one in the rack for over a year and noticed the price sticker at the time was $9.99.

Most Rose' wine has a nice strawberry nose with a dry mid-palate and finish. They are crisp and refreshing. Rose' is great on the porch swing or patio and will pair nicely with all kinds of food.

And the best part of good Rose' is that its a great value. You can buy really good Rose anywhere from $9-$15!

My Cruz de Piedra tonight was odd. It was a bit flat and not the big strawberry flavor I remembered from this wine. I've had it several times before. I'm not sure but I'm going to blame the articial closure. I'm not a fan. The great debate between synthetic corks and screw caps is several years old, but my experience says screw caps! (That's another future column!)

The wine was not bad but a bit flat. This 2006 isn't old but Rose' is a wine meant to be consumed while young.

You'll find Rose' made from Cabernet, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, and Garnacha grapes ... and others as well. I really like the Spanish Garnacha (or Grenache) grapes. But it's fun trying all the others.

The mother of all Rose' is Tavel - a region in France that makes fabulous Rose.

Rose' wine is a big growing market in wine sales. Industry surveys showed a 50 percent growth in US Rose' sales between 2006-2007!

This one tonight was a bit flat, but I have two or three more I've purchased recently and I'm anxious to give a try. And, I'm sure as summer nears I'll be buying more.

I can't recommend Rose' wine enough .. dry Rose' ... it's a great summer wine! And, it's easy to drink for newcomers trying to improve their palate!

Send comment or questions to: hewitthoward@gmail.com

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