Best Italian Rosés Under $20

July 26, 2016 By Clive Pursehouse Leave a Comment

I don’t know what it’s been like where you live, but where I am in the Pacific Northwest, summer is just now arriving. Those warm temperatures represent the perfect time to break out as much rosé as you can get your hands on, and drink it unapologetically. Drink it at weddings, on porches, with food, without, in a van (parked), with a tan. Go full Dr. Seuss, that’s what’s so great about rosé, you can drink it anytime, anywhere, even not in the summer. Seriously. I hold at least one or two of my favorite pink wines back each year to pair with Thanksgiving Turkey. So buy in bulk.

2015 Rosa dei Masi delle Venezie $14

The identity of the wines made by Masi revolves around their classic Amarone wines, which are achieved via the Appassimento technique. Ripe grapes are dried before crushing resulting in much more concentrated and intense wines. That you would do this with a rosé is certainly counterintuitive, but the folks at Masi have pulled it off wonderfully. Rosé is known for its freshness and this wine from Masi delivers while staying true to the estate’s style. The Refosco grape is used in this bottling, the color is a pretty pale pink, and the wine is wonderful. Aromas of berry and spice, and a soft, layered palate yet delivering plenty of crispness and acidity. Outstanding wine.

2015 Feudi di San Gregorio Ros’ Aura $14

Feudi di San Gregorio is pioneering a new approach to wine-making in Campania, using cutting edge technology with a commitment to indigenous varieties they’re making some of the region’s best wines. This rosé is made from the region’s very tannic red Aglianico grape and the use of stainless steel fermentation results in a pink wine with a lot of berry aromas, a fresh crisp acidity and a bit of structure. The wine is a bit more deeply hued, but still offers loads of bright fruit throughout.

Tenuta dell’ Ammiraglia Alìe Rosé $19

Produced in the heart of the coastal Maremma region of Tuscany, Alìe Rosé is a blend of Syrah (98%) and Vermentino (2%), the wine is an ultra pale pink in color and really emphasizes elegance. Aromas of apple blossom and chalk along with notes of lime and a crisp, lean palate with flavors of cut strawberry and early season apricot.

Pairing Picks: Pair any of these with warm weather and friends, but if you are looking for a food pairing: shrimp, tuna steak or high end burgers on the grill. Italian rosé also pairs well with gazpacho, tomato salad and some pasta appetizers.

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Farm Fresh from Sicily: Tasca d’ Almerita Wines

July 16, 2016 By Clive Pursehouse Leave a Comment

Nearly thirty years ago Anna Tasca Lanza launched a cooking school and series of cook books in hopes of bringing the home cooking and fresh ingredients of Sicily to the world. Nestled in a 200 year old wine estate in rural Sicily her daughter Fabrizia Lanza continues her mother’s work. The food, is a reflection of Sicily’s bounty, fresh, honest and simple. It’s also no coincidence that the wines that are grown and made on the estate Tasca d’Almerita pair perfectly with Fabrizia’s food.

photo from the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school

At a lunch hosted by Fabrizia and James Beard award winning chef Renee Erickson the perfect matching was on display. Renee prepared recipes from Fabrizia’s cook books and wines from Tasca d’Almerita matched them and the warm summer afternoon perfectly. The wines, like the food focused on Sicily’s bounty, native varieties that were fresh and food friendly.

2015 Tasca d’Almerita Rose di Regaleali, Sicilia IGT (Italy) $10

Made completely from the native Sicilian variety Nerello Mascalese this pale pink hue of this wine belies the very warm growing conditions found in central Sicily. The bright hue hints at the brilliant aromas of grapefruit, cherry and crushed stone. The palate is light, vibrant and zesty with flavors of cut strawberry, rhubarb and raspberry. The acidity is ample and this wine pairs well with food or simply sunshine on the patio.

2014 Tasca d’Almerita Cavallo delle Fate Grillo, Sicilia DOC (Italy) $18

One native Sicilian variety that I certainly wish was more widely available is Grillo. It’s a fantastic white wine grape and it’s most known for its role in the famous Marsala wine. The grape though can be a perfect food friendly dry white wine, as well as in sparkling form. The Tasca bottling is a blend of Grillo from three different sites, most importantly harvested at different times. This allows for a blend that gives a real representative character of the grape. Aromas of flint smoke and lemon zest lead into a wine that is incredibly complex at the under $20 price point. Fleshy peach, lean citrus and that underlying mineral flinty element lead to a zippy finish.

2014 Tasca d’Almerita Lamùri Nero d’Avola, Sicilia DOC (Italy) $15

Nero d’Avola is perhaps Sicily’s greatest gift to the wine world. This native variety demonstrates great range offering spicy and tannic examples that resemble Syrah, as well as bright, cherry more Pinot Noir-like bottlings. The Lamùri seems to find a nice mid point between the light and the dark with aromas of dusty cherries, along with rosemary and sage. The palate is mid-weight, with fresh fruit flavors of black and red raspberry, more dusty tannin and a touch of clove. The acid is prominent and it does well with food but there’s a depth to the finish that borders on opulent.

Pairing Picks: These wines were paired with three courses that included an olive and onion salad, and fresh tomato gazpacho with olive oil, and grilled tuna steaks with a salad of fresh and roasted tomatoes.

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A Duo of California Rosés (All Under $20)

June 23, 2016 By Clive Pursehouse Leave a Comment

Rosé is definitely on the rise for American wine drinkers and really it’s a story of redemption. As the vast majority of domestically produced wine comes from California, it is certainly in pink wines from California that most wine drinkers will find the most variety of American rosé. It is only mildly ironic then that some of the large, bulk wine producers in California are responsible for the negative connotations that pink wine, is sometimes still fighting.

White Zinfandel, a syrupy sweet pink wine, nearly white in color was originally conceived of by Sutter Home as a side product of their production of premium Zinfandel, a red wine of course. In order to create concentration in their Zinfandel they bled off a bit of the juice so that there was a higher ration of wine skins to juice in the red wine production. That side product, as a result of a happy accident became a pale pink, sweet wine. These days White Zinfandel is 10% of all wine sold in America. Geez that’s crazy.

These days American winemakers, from California and beyond are making a concerted effort to convince American wine drinkers that rosé is a serious wine for serious wine drinkers, and it’s often found at a really serious bargain price.

2015 Pedroncelli Rosé of Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley,California $11

While the idea of a Zinfandel rosé might make people think of White Zinfandel, this dry rosé is most certainly not. The Pedroncelli rosé is definitely of a darker hue, and that is a result of blending full fermented Zinfandel with freshly pressed wine. The darker color is matched by a more rounded palate than one typically finds in rosé. Flavors of tart cherry, rhubarb and cut strawberry and a bit more structure than you might expect to find in rosé, accented by just the tiniest bit of sweetness. Acid is prominent and balances the hint of sweet berry nicely.

2015 Angels & Cowboys Rosé, Sonoma County, California $15

A blend of Grenache, Merlot and Petit Verdot and a dab of Grenache Blanc, this rosé is classically pale and pink like something from the south of France. As opposed to the blending used in the Pedroncelli, the Angels & Cowboys rosé is done in the traditional saignee method, a light crushing and a short time on the grape skins to produce the pale pink color. The wine is then fermented in steel tanks and in this particular case it spent a couple months on lees, imparting a fleshier mouthfeel. The aromas of are of cut strawberry and grapefruit, along with hints of stone. The palate is lithe, angular and fresh.

Pairing Picks: Both of these rosés are made for food, the Pedroncelli perhaps would even pair well with a burger, given its more rounded palate. Either wine would pair well with grilled shrimp, salmon and charcuterie. Grilled watermelon salad (yes, that’s a thing) and both Thai and Indian food can also be a great match for rosé.

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Celebrate #LanguedocDay & Drink Pink

May 26, 2016 By Clive Pursehouse Leave a Comment

Fridays are always worthy of celebration, if for no other reason than we’re ringing in the weekend. This Friday, celebrate that it’s Friday but also that it’s #LanguedocDay!

The southwestern French region of the Languedoc might represent the single greatest source of high quality value wines in the world. This wine region that spans the Mediterranean coast known as Languedoc-Roussillon represents France’s largest wine region, with more than twice as many acres as Bordeaux, and nearly ten times more vineyards than Burgundy. One other key element separating it from those two storied regions is that the Languedoc has less of what can be strict and sometimes limiting regulations on wine production. This relative “wild west” approach has attracted some of France’s most famous winemakers from places like Chateauneuf du Pape to come try their hand at more imaginative wine production along the southwest coast.

May 27th offers fans of Languedoc wines, as well as those just beginning to discover the region, an opportunity to be a part of a world-wide social media dialogue via#LanguedocDay. There will be tweet-ups and meet-ups at local wine shops and wine bars across the country, and an ongoing dialogue via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram giving you the opportunity to share your impressions and opinions on the wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon. To that end, we’ve pulled together two pink wines to show the range of the region; it’s not just incredible red wines. Follow me on Twitter @clivity as I tweet about #LanguedocDay on the 27th as well.

2015 Château du Donjon Minervois Rosé, Languedoc, France $13

Beautifully pale pink and dry as a bone this rosé is aromatically bright and elegant. This rosé is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault, some of the signature grapes of the Languedoc. While they’re often made into rustic, mineral driven red wines, with plenty of garrigue, this bottling is a crystalline, elegant rosé instead. Aromas of crushed stone, rose petals and grapefruit and an uplifted palate of crushed stone, fresh cut strawberries and a touch of that regionally famous herbal note known as garrigue.

2013 Antech “Emotion” Cremant de Limoux Brut Rosé, Languedoc, France $15

A pink sparkler that is a completely different blend than you might typically expect. Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Mauzac and Pinot Noir from the Languedoc. A pretty pink hue and bright aromas make this bit of varietal exploration a winner. Produced in the same way as Champagne this wine spends 15 months in bottle before it’s ready to be popped. Think strawberries and creme meets apple blossom aromatics. The palate is bright, it pops with fresh fruit flavors and is loaded with bubbles. This wine is bright, fresh and delicious. The pricetag is absolutely laughable; at $15 make this rosé everyday celebration, after all life is short.

The Limoux region in the Languedoc produces wines from four sub-appellations and three of them are sparkling wines only. So this is a region with a great deal of history and tradition around creating a sparkling wine, in fact, the region of Limoux claims to have invented sparkling wine in a nearby Benedictine abbey of Saint Hilaire in 1531. Though those in Champagne may dispute this claim, what is undeniable is the consistent quality that the Limoux wines exhibit, a real indicator of experienced winemakers plying their trade. Pink wines though, have only been allowed in the Limoux AOC since 2003.

Celebrate #LanguedocDay and do so in affordable style.

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Besides Champagne – Sparkling Pink French Wines (All Under $20)

April 29, 2016 By Clive Pursehouse Leave a Comment

Everybody knows Champagne, it comes from Champagne and it’s amazing, and typically, it’s a bit on the spendy side. When you’ve seen Champagne on this site it’s definitely been listed as a “Urge to Splurge” item. I’ve never met a Champagne I didn’t like, and I’ve also never met one for under $20. There are however tons of great sparkling wine offerings from France not called Champagne. In fact, there are apparently twenty three different kinds of options, (thanks Wine Folly).

But with a variety of successful and world renowned wine regions throughout all of France there are bound to be plenty of sparkling options that allow you to explore without breaking the bank. Two things to look for are the terms “Mousseux” or “Crémant” which refer to sparkling wines not from Champagne, so for example Crémant de Limoux, or Crémant de Bourgogne. Outstanding values and terrific wines abound in the realm of French sparkling offerings.

Domaine J Laurens Cremant de Limoux Crémant Rosé, Languedoc, France $15

The Crémant Rosé from Domaine J Laurens is a pretty pale pink and aromatically fruity with red currant, and rhubarb notes. The palate is crisp and fruit forward and there’s a fair bit of body from this blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Pinot Noir. Rich flavors and great acidity make for a nice balanced wine.

François Montand, Brut Rosé, Non-Vintage, Jura, France $12

The Montand story is an outstanding one. François grew up on his family’s Champagne vineyards but fled Champagne for Jura during the German occupation in World War II. He took only five vines with him to replant vineyards in his new home and continue the family tradition of sparkling wine production using the same methods his family had. The wines that come out of his Jura winery are incredibly well made and ridiculously affordable.

The Brut Rosé is beautifully packaged and loaded with character. A blend of Grenache and Cinsault makes for a captivating wine for an unbelievable price. The aromas of crushed limestone and cut strawberries introduce a palate that is fresh and lean. Strawberries, watermelon and wet stone and a great bubbly mouthfeel for a song.

Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’ Alsace, Brut Rosé, Alsace, France $16

The Albrecht family has ancient roots in the Alsace region and it’s fair to say that they are one of the founding wine families in one of France’s great wine regions. The winery began in 1425 (that’s not a typo) with wine and viticultural pioneer Romanus Albrecht laying the groundwork for what would become one of the most well known sparkling wine brands outside of Champagne.

Made from 100% Pinot Noir treated with the utmost care the Albrecht rosé is rich and rounded off thanks to the time spent on lees for over a year. The aromas offer honeycomb and early season cherry. The palate is mouth-filling and creamy with strawberry creme, raspberries and cherry skins.

Pairing Picks: All of these wines make for perfect aperitifs but they’ll also stand up to food. Grilled vegetables, mushroom risotto, grilled shrimp and certainly crab cakes are all on offer with any of these great value pink sparklers.

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