Rob's "Wine of the Week" Archives
So here is my wine review for the week of February 19th...
VINUM CELLARS 2006 ROSE
Description: After years of being reviled, ignored and mocked as being nothing more than a cheap imitation of “White zin,” which is the ultimate insult to wine, Rose has been making a steady comeback in the past years. The main change in modern day rose has been the introduction of using actual red wine grapes, picked early, as opposed to the antiquated process of taking white wine and essentially infusing pink coloring (blechh!). Traditionally, rose is a light red wine, served chilled, that is fruity, refreshing, and light but presents itself with more body and less sweetness than some crappy bottle of white zin.
How and when I drank it:Sunday afternoon, February 17, 2008 at Paul Martin’s American Bistro in Roseville, California where they serve it by the glass.
How to get it: Vinum is a Napa winery and sells it by the bottle at their Napa location. T can also be found at various wine shops and merchants and stores as well as on line.
How Much:It’s about $11 per bottle at the winery.
My Thoughts:This particular rose is 100% cabernet grapes, picked early. If it weren’t on the wine list at one of my favorite restaurants, I would never give it second look. The wine comes in a silly looking bottle that is far too cute for its’ own good, and also sports some asinine phrase parenthetically after the word rose (It’s okay!), which basically implies “hey, we know rose sucks, but give this bottle a chance, will ya? It’s a shame they waste so much time and energy on turning their wine into a cartoon because it’s a pretty decent rose. While more dry than I like, and a little darker in color (this bottle is more of a cranberry color than a light/dark pink, which I prefer), I actually enjoy the full use of cabernet grapes and find this to be a very nice way to start an afternoon of casual spring time drinking.
Overall Score: The wine is fruity, but not sweet, but is also slightly more advanced than a bottle I would open for someone who only liked white zin (I usually just ask people like to leave). It’s a good wine, but I am genuinely disappointed and almost offended by their presentation. Appearance matters when it comes to food and drink, and on that front, this winery is failing miserably. Simply because of their presentation, I wouldn’t buy this wine to serve to friends. Too bad, because based solely on price and quality it’s more than acceptable. 3 vines.
Beringer Alluvium Blanc 2006=
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