Jane's Weekly Wines from the Atlanta Wine School PRINT AND GO VERSION February 9th, 2006 Winter Rosés *************************************************************************************** RETAILERS WHO SUPPORT THIS COLUMN AND HAVE HAD THIS LIST OF WINES IN ADVANCE. Pearson's Wines of Atlanta, 3072 Early St Nw Atlanta, GA 30305 -- 404-231-8752 Corner Wine & Art, 1402 N. Highland Avenue, Atlanta, GA 30306 -- 404-875-8810 Home Town Wine & Spirits, 4856 Hog Mountain Rd, Flowery Branch, GA --770-965-6058 The Colors of Wine, 2355 Cumberland Pkwy, Atlanta, GA 30339 -- 770-432-2828 Sigman Bottle Shop, 425 Sigman Road - Conyers, GA 30012 -- 770-929-8797 Shiraz, 675 Pulaski Street, Suite 400, Athens, GA 30601 -- 706-208-0010 Is your wine shop not on this list? Tell them to call 770-668-0435! *************************************************************************************** Crozé "Vin d'Une Nuit" 2004 Suisun Valley, CA (borders Napa Valley) Score: 89 Points Tasting Notes: Full-bodied dry wine; with a translucent medium deep dark cherry red color. Aromas of crushed red cherries, touch of spice. Flavors focus on red fruits: raspberries; red currants, fresh red cherries and a hint of cinnamon heart candy. Think deep red fruit jam. You almost want to go get a spoon to enjoy it. Sweetness balanced by some tannin. Fresh, delectable fruit; fruit sweetness with a crisp, dry finish. Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon. Macerated just 24 hours at warm temperatures, then pressed, chilled to 55 degrees, and fermented cold, as if it were a white wine. Small production, first made in 2003. Food Pairings: Amazing with soy-based sauces for grilled foods, such as grilled salmon or pork tenderloin with soy-sesame dipping sauce; Whole Foods' ginger braised lamb; dishes with sun-dried tomatoes, such as grilled chicken breast with a sun-dried tomato/caper relish; pasta salad with sun-dried tomatoes and capers; Chinese-style barbecued ribs, roast duck and Cornish hen with Asian five spice seasoning; chicken sausages with red pepper. Skip overtly hot foods, such as anything blackened. There were lots more, but I'm outta room. Price: $15 Wholesaler: Wine Maverick ************************************************************************************ Crios de Susana Balbo Rosado de Malbec 2005 Mendoza, Argentina Score: 88 Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied dry wine with a translucent medium pink-red color. Somewhat shy aromas of red fruits, chiefly strawberry, with very ripe red fruit flavors--strawberry and red cherry dominating--.and showing a good bit of aromatic brown spices. Very long finish, with spice and red fruits in harmony through the close. Beautifully balanced. Grape: Malbec, made as a saignée. Food Pairings: A beautiful food wine: Cumin-scented dishes; ratatouille; eggplant/tomato dishes; pasta with sun-dried tomatoes; smoked salmon mousse; Chinese fare, such as orange beef or chicken; calamari with marinara sauce or with Asian-influenced sauces; fried chicken; chicken sausage with red peppers; turkey picadillo; Cuban fare, such as traditional sandwiches, black beans and rice, roast pork; vegetable pot pie; root vegetable stew with country ham; beet and carrot salad--one hardly knows where to stop! Price: $11 Wholesaler: Quality Wine & Spirits ************************************************************************************** Viña Vilano Rosado 2004 Ribera del Duero, Spain Score: 89 Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied slightly off-dry wine, with a translucent reddish pink color. Somewhat shy aromas of raspberry and strawberry, followed by a hefty mouthful of luscious red fruits and spice. Bloom in mid palate is tasty, but finish is a mite short. Still, an excellent value, and a great party wine. Grape: Tinto del país (a/k/a tempranillo). Food Pairings: Tapas, including ham or chicken croquetas, Serrano ham, chorizo, garlic shrimp or mushrooms; just for starters. Plus mildly spicy salami, grilled sausages; Mexican casserole dishes, such as enchiladas, frijoles refritos, tortas (Mexican sandwiches). Cuban cuisine: Cuban sandwiches, black beans and rice, boliche. From Whole Foods: barbecued turkey meatloaf; King Ranch Casserole (or anything accented with cumin), braised lamb with ginger and red peppers. Italian fare: pizza; salsa puttanesca on pasta. Price: $10 Wholesaler: Grape Expectations *************************************************************************************** Franschhoek Vineyards "Anvil" Rosé 2004 Franschhoek, South Africa Score: 90 Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied dry rosé wine with a translucent salmon red color. Clean floral (initially rose petal) scent followed by exuberant red fruit aromas, focused on strawberry, with lip-smacking strawberry/red cherry flavors. Just delicious. Beautifully balanced. Grape: Pinotage. Skin contact for 12 hours, then fermented at low temperature, like a white wine. Excellent value. Franschhoek means "Frenchman's Corner" in Afrikaans, the national language of South Africa. Many French Huguenots, fleeing repression in France, settled there, bringing the wine business with them. Food Pairings: Layered casserole dishes, such as moussaka or pastitsio, with tomato and Béchamel sauce; Whole Foods' King Ranch casserole (or other dishes flavored with cumin); probably also babootie (a layered South African meat casserole), grilled chicken, roast turkey; herb-marinated grilled lamb or pork tenderloin; Southern barbecue (ribs) Price: $10 Wholesaler: Big Boat Wine Co. (new wholesaler: 678-427-6152) ************************************************************************************ Soter Vineyards "Firefly" Rosé of Pinot Noir 2004 Yamhill-Carlton, Oregon Score: 88 Tasting Notes: A medium-bodied dry rosé wine; medium salmon pink. Delicate floral and red fruit aromas, with an emphasis on strawberry and raspberry. Flavors tilt to red raspberry, with a hint of peach underneath. A.crisp dry finish rewards the palate. Zingy acidity. Not a saignée, this rosé is, as Tony Soter likes to say, made "for its own sake," in neutral barrels and stainless steel. The former rounds.out the texture, yielding a silky mouthfeel, while the stainless steel preserves the fresh fruit flavors. Whole cluster pressing selected lots of Pinot Noir grapes from the Beacon Hill Estate Vineyard helps with fruit freshness, too. Some Pinot Noir is blended back in to boost spiciness and fruit. Will last for a couple of years in the bottle, says Soter, but is best savored in its youth. . (NB: Soter also makes a Brut Rosé sparkling.) Food Pairings: Salmon mousse, spicy crawfish salad or crawfish cakes; shrimp rémoulade, grilled shrimp, grilled salmon plain or teriyaki, mild curry dishes, and I'd bet on it with Country Captain; grilled chicken and red pepper meatloaf (New York Deli) or chicken/red pepper sausages (Whole Foods); Korean seafood or vegetable pancakes, salmon cakes, salami and Spanish-style chorizo. Soter suggests grilled Cornish hens (agreed), and a salad of endives, goat cheese and beets (can see that). Price: $24 Wholesaler: Quality Wine & Spirits ************************************************************************************** Champagne Pannier Brut Rosé (NV) Champagne, France Score: 88 Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied dry sparkling rosé; pale salmon pink. Delicate aromas of red fruits, notably cherry and strawberry, with same red fruit flavors rather prominent. Burst of fruit flavors in mid palate, while crisp finish lingers nicely on the palate. Balanced. Touch of red wine is blended back into white wine to achieve the color and to set the fruit aromas and flavors. Winery located in Château-Thierry, Vallé de la Marne, making a visit to the winery easily coupled with a visit to nearby WWI sites. Food Pairings: Mildly spicy Cajun crawfish tail salad (Harry's)--flat awesome; grilled bacon-wrapped scallops or prawns with mustard-mayonnaise dipping sauce; sushi, especially California rolls with soy, wasabi and pickled ginger (go easy on the wasabi, as you should anyway), steamed Asian dumplings with dipping sauce; sesame oil-dressed crisp greens, all manner of dim sum; smoked salmon mousse, cocktail salmon cakes with tartar sauce Price: $40 Wholesaler: Grapefields