Tag Archives: rose wine

Christmas wine 2023

christmas wine 2020
Yes, this is the last time you’ll have to see this picture in the Christmas wine post.

Four recommendations for Christmas wine 2023

For the final time, the blog’s Christmas wine suggestions, whether for a last minute gift, something to drink when you just want a glass over the next couple of weeks, or for a holiday dinner. Keep our wine gift giving tips in mind — and don’t overlook the blog’s 2023 holiday gift guide.

These wines will get you started:

Riondo Prosecco NV ($10, purchased, 11%): Italian bubbly is simple but surprisingly enjoyable — much better than I thought it would be. Lots and lots of bubbles, some vaguely tropical fruit, and not especially sweet. Imported by Terlato Wines International

Falesco Est! Est!! Est!!! 2021 ($12, purchased, 12.5%): This Italian white is a long-time blog favorite, and especially when it cost $8. It tasted has it always has — tart lemon fruit, one-note, and simple, but always fun. Imported by Heritage Collection 

Perrin & Fils Côtes du Rhône Reserve 2020 ($12, purchased, 14%): This French red is a fairly typical inexpensive Cotes du Rhone (lots of syrah and heavier in the mouth), but mostly balanced with a bit of spice and the requisite amount of black fruit. Imported by Vineyard Brands

Stemmari Rosato 2021 ($8, purchased, 12%): Italian pink from Sicily made with with the nero d’avola grape. Much going on here for $8; a bit savory, with a bit of berry fruit, and almost stony. Highly recommended. Imported by Prestige Wine Imports

More about Christmas wine:
Christmas wine 2022
Christmas wine 2021
Christmas wine 2020
Wine of the week: The Curator Red 2021
Expensive wine 169: Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Photo: “guardian of wine” by marcostetter is marked with CC PDM 1.0

Thanksgiving wine 2023

Cartoon of turkey with wine glassFour Thanksgiving wine 2023 suggestions

The WC’s favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. I get to cook and share wine and food with the people I care about. How can that not be terrific?

So enjoy the holiday, and especially these Thanksgiving wine 2023 suggestions. The blog’s guidelines for holiday wine buying are here.

La Fiera Pinot Grigio 2021 ($11, purchased, 12%): This Italian white is about as consistent as this kind of wine gets (though it’s more Kirkland in style this vintage). But its still well made, with a hint of lemon peel and very clean and dry. Imported by Winesellers Ltd.

Althea Prosecco NV ($15, purchased, 11%): $15 Prosecco for people who like Prosecco — so a touch sweet, terrific fizzy bubbles, and a bit of lemon fruit. Very professional. Imported by La Cigale Wines

Domaine Laroque Pinot Noir 2021 ($12, purchased, 12.5%): Simple, almost rustic French pinot noir that mostly tastes like pinot noir. Some dark red fruit, a bit more tannin than it should have, a surprisingly pinot noir aroma, and, overall, probably greater than the sum of its parts. Imported by Aquitane Wine USA

Zestos Old Vine Rosado 2022 ($12, purchased, 12.5%): All of the Zestos Spanish wines are worth buying, and in large quantities. This vintage of the rose is more in the Provencal style, with barely ripe berry fruit and some minerality. Imported by Ole & Obrigado

More about Thanksgiving wine:
Thanksgiving wine 2022
Thanksgiving wine 2021
Thanksgiving wine 2020
Wine of the week: Santa Julia Malbec Organica 2022
Expensive wine 167: Ameztoi Hondarrabi Zuri 2021

Wine of the week: Mezzacorona Delisa Rosato 2021

Mezzacorona Delisa Rosato bottle
Mezzacorona Delisa Rosato 2021/$9-$15

No, I don’t know why this Italian rose is so delicious — but it is

Big Wine comes in for a lot of grief on the blog, but I am always ready to give it credit when credit is due. And, boy, does Big Wine get credit for this one.

Mezzacorona is one of Italy’s biggest producers, and it makes lots and lots of cheap wine — including too much bland pinot grigio. So when I saw that this rose was made with pinot grigio, I bought it mostly for the novelty.

And I am glad I did. The Mezzacorona Delisa Rosato 2021 ($10, purchased, 12.5%) is just the kind of wine to help us celebrate the blog’s 16th annual Birthday Week. It’s well-made, it’s interesting, and it doesn’t taste like it was designed by a committee.

In other words, a stunning wine, somehow tasting like classic Italian rose (red fruit, savory, and herbal) without any of the baggage that goes with Big Wine.

Highly recommended, and a candidate for the Hall of Fame next year. Chill this and drink it on its own, with holiday guests, or at Thanksgiving.

Imported by Prestige Wine Imports

Labor Day wine 2023

people sitting in front of table talking and eating
“I told you the WC’s wine recommendations were super good.”

Enjoy these four bottles for Labor Day wine 2023

Labor Day traditionally marks the end of the summer in the U.S., which will be most welcome this year. Even the WC, who vowed never to shovel snow again, was getting overwhelmed by 105-degree temperatures. And then some more. And then some more.

So bring on fall, cooler weather, some chilled reds, and relaxing on a shaded place on the porch. And maybe some lemon roasted chicken?

These four bottles will give you a start — and don’t forget the blog’s porch wine guidelines:

Jolie Folle Sauvignon Blanc 2021 ($13/1-liter, purchased, 11.5%): This French white is more New Zealand in style this vintage, with grapefruit instead of lime and less minerality. But it’s still a fine value. Imported by T. Elenteny Imports

Umani Ronchi Podere 2021  ($13, purchased, 13%): A surprisingly fresh and berryish Italian red from Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, though it’s not as light as some. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be chilled slightly and served with bacon cheeseburgers.  Imported by Vineyard Brands

Castle Rock Rose 2022 ($12, sample, 13%): A California pink that is crisp, fresh, and enjoyable — and dry, dry, dry. Look for rose petals on the nose (honest), plus barely ripe berry fruit and a very pleasant stony finish. I’m told it’s available, so its Wine-Searcher entry is probably wrong.

Campo Viejo Cava Brut Rose NV ($11, purchased, 11.5%): This Spanish bubbly is made with trepat, which is a good thing. But it’s a little less crisp than it could be and it’s not quite up to the standards of what great cheap Cava once was. But it has nice wild berry fruit with decent bubbles, so it will do. Imported by Pernod Richard USA

Photo: Priscillia Du Preez on Unsplash

More about Labor Day wine:
Labor Day wine 2022
Labor Day wine 2021
Labor Day wine 2020
Wine of the week: Zestos Blanco 2021

Wine of the week: Bieler Père et Fils Rose 2022

Bieler rose bottle
Bieler Père et Fils Rose 2022/$10-$21

Once again, the Bieler family shows that rose matters and that it doesn’t need to cost $40

The world might do whatever it does these days, but there remains one thing we can always count on: The Bieler family’s Sabine rose.

So, as the blog celebrates its 16th annual Memorial Day and rose extravaganza this week, let us be grateful that Charles Bieler and the rest of the family respect rose in the same way they have for years.

That means quality. That means availability (Target, even). That means a fair price. That means value. And that means French rose from Provencal that tastes like French rose from Provencal, instead of some marketing team’s idea of what pink wine should taste like.

This vintage of the Bieler Sabine ($12, sample, 12.5%) is as it always is — classic Provencal rose (though perhaps with a touch more strawberry fruit this vintage), a bit of minerality, and a hint of the tell-tale garrigue. It’s not sweet. It’s not “ultra-pale and evanescent,” and it isn’t “intense, concentrated, mouth-filling, super-marrowy, long” the way the wine geeks like their rose.

It’s rose for those of us who like rose, who don’t want to pay $40, and who don’t care what the rest of the world thinks about what we drink. Highly recommended, and sure to return to the Hall of Fame next year.

Imported by Bieler Pere et Fils

Rose season 2023 preview

woman with wine glass
“Yes! Maybe more rose for rose season.”

This year’s rose supply still may be slightly foozled, but prices could be stable – so, all in all, not entirely bad news

The pink wine supply situation as we approach the 2023 rose season may be better than it has been the last couple of years. Prices, if nothing else, should be more or less what they were last year. The catch? That even though the shipping situation is much improved over the past couple of years, producers in Europe and the U.S. are still having difficulty finding bottles, closures, and even labels, thanks to entirely different supply chain problems.

“It’s always a wild card with importing,” says Andrew Stover of Siema Wines & Vino50 Selections, a long-time friend of the blog. “It’s getting the stock, and getting it in a timely manner that is the issue.”

The catch this year, after talking to a variety of retailers, producers, and importers, is glass for bottles. The war in Ukraine and its squeeze on Europe’s energy supply has raised prices for glass there and in the U.S., not only making bottles more expensive but harder to find. This may limit the supply of rose, since there won’t be enough bottles for all of it.

Says Stover: “Last year we saw 2021 roses coming in May, and usually it’s March. And so far this year, none of our imported 2022 roses are here yet. Maybe April.”

And prices? Probably more or less stable after a variety of increases last year. On the one hand, there is still lots and lots of rose on store shelves from the past couple of vintages, even though demand for rose is one of the few bright spots for wine sales in the U.S. For example, a host of retailers are still selling 2019 and 2020 roses; this includes the 2020 Campuget, a fine $10 pink that would have almost certainly have sold out in years past.

I’ll update this post if the situation changes. Until then, know that the blog’s 16th annual rose previews – featuring lots and lots of roses that most of us can afford to buy – will post on May 25.

Christmas wine 2022

christmas wine 2020
“Hey, WC. This is the third year in a row you’ve used this picture. Find another one already.”

Four recommendations for Christmas wine 2022

Once more, the blog’s Christmas wine suggestions, whether for a last minute gift, something to drink when you just want a glass over the next couple of weeks, or for a holiday dinner. Keep our wine gift giving tips in mind — and don’t overlook the blog’s 2022 holiday gift guide (blog subscriptions, hint, hint).

These wines will get you started:

Alma Brut NV ($6, purchased, 11.5%): The blog’s Arizona correspondent raves about this Total Wine private label, which comes from Brazil. So, because he rates it so highly — and he makes good sense — it’s here even though we try to avoid private label. Look for some decent bubbles and a bit of apple. Imported by Saranty Imports

Domaine de la Croix Senaillet Mâcon-Davaye 2020 ($18, purchased, 13%): This French white, made with chardonnay, is a touch pricey for a wine from the Macon region. But it’s very well done and a delight to drink. Rich, not oaky, pear and apple fruit, and a bit of stoniness. Imported by Wines with Conviction

Château Pey La Tour 2019 ($15, purchased, 14.5%): A fairly typical merlot-based red Bordeaux, so softish, what the wine magazines call “perfumed,” and lots of red fruit. Find it for $15, and you have something to drink with prime rib. Imported by Champagnes & Chateaux USA

Le petit Gueissard Rose 2021 ($10, purchased, 12.5%): How anyone can turn out a pink wine of this quality at this price, given all that is going on in the world, is mind boggling. Some softish cherry fruit from the grenache in the blend, but also structure and character. Highly recommended. Imported by Artisan Wine Selections

More about Christmas wine:
Christmas wine 2021
Christmas wine 2020
Christmas wine 2019
Wine of the week: McManis Petite Sirah 2020
Expensive wine 160: Vietti Arneis 2021

Photo: “guardian of wine” by marcostetter is marked with CC PDM 1.0