Rob's "Wine of the Week" Archives
So here is my wine review for the week of March 10th...
ROSA REGALE BANFI 2006
Description: This week I have taken my current fascination with the new rose (pronounced rose-ay) wines to a new level. Rose wines, also called blush wines by some, have re-emerged on the wine market after decades of being made terribly and being the laughing stock of the wine world. Wine makers have discovered that by blending great red and white wine grapes they can make a light, refreshing red wine that appeals to a vast array of people.
This Rosa Regale is an Italian sparkling red wine, so it’s not a rose, but my current fascination is what led me to it. Essentially this is a red “champagne” dessert wine.
How and when I drank it:Friday afternoon, February 29, 2008 at my Mom’s house. My wife and I brought this bottle with us and spent this occasion giving it a try.
How to get it: This is actually a very accessible bottle of Italian sparkling wine, found by the case, for example, at Sam’s club. I have also seen it at some grocery stores, most wine shops and it can be purchased on-line as well.
How Much:It’s about $23 per bottle at the winery’s website, but Sam’s club sells it for just $12 per bottle.
My Thoughts: This is a very sweet, very sparkling, refreshing wine. The flavors are lush and almost overwhelming, delivering red fruit flavors like raspberry and strawberry, all encompassed by a lot of sugar and sweetness. The saving grace of this wine is the carbonation which does offset some of the sweetness.
Overall Score: This is a great wine for dessert or to be served with any form of chocolate or cake. Most wines can’t stand up to such sweet foods, but this one could. This is NOT a wine to open up and enjoy while sitting around waiting for dinner (as we discovered by doing exactly that). The wine is exceptionally sweet and most people will be quite pleased with just one glass, thank you very much.
Judged as what it’s meant to be, a sweet champagne style dessert wine, this is a very unique, wonderful, sweet wine. 4 vines.
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