Commanderie de Peyrassol Rosé Cotes de Provence. Ahhhhh. When I taste this, my summer officially begins. Made from a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault, this is an elegant rosé that allows you to let go of all the memories of any bad rosé experiences you may have had along the way. One sip of this and they will be gone for good. Thanks to my good friends at Windham Wines who introduced me to this wine and made it my official summer opener. Enjoy.
Every house deserves its own wine. This is your every day wine that you always have on hand. It's you. It's comfy. It's reliable. I had been in search of my house wine for a while and I think I finally found it. Thanks to an email from The Wine Library. La Piece Sous le Bras 2005 Rouge and 2005 blanc. Who cares that Robert Parker gave them each 88 points? What I love is the perfect intersection of taste and price. The white is a light, crisp blend of Roussane, Viognier and Chardonnay. It tastes like summer in a glass to me and is the perfect complement to the smell of the fresh cut grass as the sun is setting. The red is a lively blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cinsault, medium bodied. I have been enjoying both wines for the last couple of weeks, but hadn't served them to guests until last night. Both wines received rave reviews, and those are the reviews I really care about. And the best for last: the price? $9.99 a bottle. I'll drink to that!
From Folie à Deux in Napa Valley, this is a great white for summer. The name cleverly refers to the three grapes that are in this wine: Chardonnay, Muscat and Chenin Blanc. Here's an example where the label drew me in. I was at the grocery store and didn't have time to go to the wine store. I wanted a good value white (in the 10 dollar range), as I scanned the whites the two dancing figures on the label jumped out at me and of course the name made me smile. I grabbed the bottle and it made its way to my table for a simple meal of grilled vegetables and Bubba's burgers. If you haven't tried Bubba's and you crave a good burger that's ready to grill, you'll be singing Summertime and wondering where Bubba's has been all your life. As you can see, I don't follow the inane rule about red with beef. I love whites when I'm in the sunshine -- it's a purely psychological preference emblazoned in my brain from drinking whites at sidewalk cafes on glorious New York City summer days. Watching people. Waiting for your friends to show up. Sipping a crisp white and watching the world literally go by. That's what I love about wine. It can take you places. I also like the fact that the website describes the wine as "easy." Another smile. I liked the citrus tones, welcoming summer with me. This will definately be one of my wines of the summer season.
