Hot on the heels of two pieces showcasing 40+ stonking reds from the North and the Centre & South of the Roussillon, it's time to switch the limelight onto some of the region's flavoursome white and rosé wines. There's a blurb about the wineries mentioned here in those two previous posts: tap the links to discover more including which outlets stock their wines. So this time then, less blah blah and more wine. Photo: old vines in Les Aspres zone.
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Showing posts sorted by date for query rosé. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query rosé. Sort by relevance Show all posts
21 August 2022
Roussillon: 36 whites and rosés worthy of your fridge (but not at the same time).
01 August 2022
Roussillon - the south & centre: 16 reds to knock your socks off (part 2).
These plush reds represent more of my favourites from a recent Wines of Roussillon tasting in London (part 1: the north, is here). Featuring wines from 2019, 2020 and 2021 plus some more mature or rarer vintages produced by various wineries in the centre and south of the Roussillon, aka 'French Catalonia, wild wine country' as in the title of my book.
21 June 2022
June wines of the moment
A mixed baker's dozen (plus) of wines worth taking bad photos of...
M&S 'Found' Weißburgunder 2021, Pfalz Germany (12.5% abv): Or Pinot Blanc to use its more familiar French name (Pinot Bianco in Italy). This juicy zesty pear and nectarine tinged dry white is from talented winemaker Gerd Stepp, who's made other tasty 'modern' German wines for Marks including delicious Riesling and Pinot Noir. Resembles Alsace Pinot Blanc in style but with more flavour. £9.50
Labels:
Abruzzo,
Alentejo,
Alsace,
Antão Vaz.,
Basilicata,
Fiano,
Garnacha,
Gewurztraminer,
Greco,
Grenache,
Montepulciano,
Navarra,
Pays d'Oc,
Pfalz,
Pinot Blanc,
rosado,
Sicily,
South Australia,
Viognier,
Weißburgunder
28 April 2022
Grenache: white rosé and red.
Lo Cometa Garnatxa Blanca 2020 Terra Alta, Catalunya (organic, 13.5% abv): Which is Catalan for Grenache blanc, this unusual full-bodied dry white is more about flavour and texture than aroma. Subtle honeyed notes with yeast-lees, white peach and pears edged with aniseed and blanched nuts; quite powerful while juicy and concentrated with lingering mineral freshness. £7.25 The Wine Society (out of stock, wait for the 2021), €6-€7 Germany (Lidl has some 2019 left), Netherlands €9.
Labels:
Garnacha,
Garnatxa Blanca,
Grenache blanc,
Grenache noir
06 March 2022
Serious rosé
For those of us who enjoy (proper) dry rosé all year round, not just in summer (it's a good compromise for a white wine drinker and a red wine drinker sharing the same meal and bottle), it's no surprise that 'serious' rosé does exist. But some people in France and someone in Italy had the bright idea of creating the Rosés de Terroirs association as a collaborative marketing project to promote the regions and producers who are famous for making this type of full-on pink wine.
Labels:
Bandol,
Costières de Nîmes,
Côtes du Rhône,
Côtes du Roussillon,
Tavel
21 February 2022
Pays d'Oc, South of France part 4.
Poet Frédéric Mistral. |
19 January 2022
A dozen more winter wines of the mo
Muga Reserva Rioja 2016 (14% abv) is a splendid oak-aged blend of 75% Tempranillo with Garnacha, Mazuelo (= Carignan) and Graciano. Smoky spicy oak aromas in that traditional Rioja fashion but with lots of rich dark berry fruit and beginning to show enticing balsamic maturing notes, quite dense powerful and structured with concentrated savoury fruit, a little firmness still on the finish but with lovely silky tannins too. Good with lamb shank; should benefit from another few years' bottle age. Half-bottle £9.25 (image = the Wine Society).
Labels:
Cava,
Chardonnay,
Greco,
Grenache blanc,
Grillo,
Lisboa,
Macabeu,
Malbec,
Pinot Noir,
Riesling,
Rioja Reserva,
rosé,
Roussanne,
Roussillon
22 December 2021
Festive wines of the mo
Rancio Sec Arnaud de Villeneuve, Côtes Catalanes, France (16% abv) - This very dry rancio style is an old-as-time Catalan speciality - although made elsewhere in France and Spain (and Europe) in similarly tiny quantities - and is distinctly different from other traditional cask-aged bottlings from the Roussillon, which is well-known for its mostly red, fortified sweet wines. This tasty 'commercial' example is made by one of the region's biggest (if not the) co-operative wineries...
Labels:
Alsace,
Amontillado,
Chardonnay,
Côtes Catalanes,
Gewurztraminer,
Grillo,
Hemel-en-Aarde,
Leyda Valley,
Limarí,
Macon-Lugny,
Marsanne.,
Muscat,
organic,
Paarl,
Pinot Noir,
Rancio,
Roussanne,
Sherry,
Sicilia,
Viognier
01 November 2021
The Wine Society: 3 whites, 3 rosés, 3 reds.
These nine varied wines are available from the Wine Society in the UK (and some of them from other wine stores and in other countries), which I became a member of recently, and represent my favourites from a first mixed case purchased (I picked each wine but you can order from several pre-selected options).
Labels:
Alentejo,
Aragonez,
Castelão,
Garnacha,
Grenache,
Grillo,
Moschofilero,
Navarra,
Peloponnese,
Roditis,
Roussillon,
Sardinia,
Sicily,
Syrah,
Vermentino
15 October 2021
Wines of the mo: Zweigelt, Chardonnay, Fiano & Grecanico, Pinot Noir, Riesling and more.
It's not just that desperate label which grabbed me about this Aussie white - hmm, where's that Chardy from then? Perhaps add a picture of Dame Edna sniffing it on the back-label to be sure. This tasty unoaked Chardonnay is one of Aldi's burgeoning Specially Selected range and is also great value for €7.99 at Aldi Ireland or £5.99 in the UK.
Labels:
Chardonnay,
Fiano,
Gewurztraminer,
Grecanico,
Pinot Noir,
Riesling,
Verdicchio,
Zweigelt
03 October 2021
Bubbly of the moment: Cava
Frankly, almost always more interesting than Prosecco (unless you pay for some of the top names), here are five Catalan fizz favourites enjoyed in recent times.
Vilarnau Rosé Brut Reserva (12% abv) - Toasty, red-fruity and full-flavoured, this delicious Cava Rosado is based on Garnacha (Grenache) and Pinot Noir. Tesco was 'clearing' it out for £8 (it's gone already)...
Labels:
Cava
17 September 2021
France, Roussillon: Domaine of the Bee
This is the first full update on Roussillon wine producers since I published my book on the region (did I mention it already?! Click there for details), focusing on new vintages and releases from wineries featured in the book, and potentially any new-to-me places that would then be slotted into the winery guide sections for a future edition. Domaine of the Bee was tentatively launched in 2004 (some old vines purchased) by Justin Howard-Sneyd MW, wife Amanda and business partner Philippe Sacerdot.
Labels:
Carignan,
Cotes Catalanes,
English sparkling wine,
Grenache,
Maury sec,
Roussillon
09 July 2021
South of France, Pays d'Oc part three: Rosé.
These five rosés are all IGP Pays d'Oc from the Languedoc.
Marselan 2020 Les Caves Richemer (13.5% abv) - As I said in two previous posts about IGP Pays d'Oc (part 1 and part 2), Marselan is a crossing of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache that's been around for a few decades and has adapted well to the Languedoc. Well-made easy-going tasty rosé combining juicy red fruits and white peach with creamier food-leaning mouth-weight and fresh zingy finish. Not bad match with a kinda 'surf & turf' pasta dish: spicy sausage tortelloni topped with bolognese and sardine sauce with courgettes, garlic, ginger and smoked paprika! France cellar door €4.30, Netherlands €8.95, US €9.99.
Labels:
Cinsault,
French rosé,
Languedoc,
Marselan,
Pays d'Oc,
Petit Verdot,
rosé,
Sauvignon Gris,
Syrah
01 July 2021
Chile review 2021 masterclass
Valle de Elqui
Two tasting sessions featuring very diverse wines were held live via Zoom at the end of May, hosted by Wines of Chile UK, Tim Atkin MW and several leading Chilean winemakers also online commenting on their wines as we sampled from home. Tim picked sixteen whites, reds and a rosé to showcase the latest developments on the ground in Chile, enhanced by lots of up-to-date information on vineyards, grape varieties and wine regions. Atkin produces a substantial report every year on the Chilean wine scene, which can be purchased from this website here. Wine geek warning: this post is quite long and 'serious' (but does contain some great wines to look out for)...
Labels:
Carignan,
Carmenere,
Chardonnay,
Cinsault,
Garnacha,
Grenache,
Malbec,
Monastrell,
Mourvèdre,
Petit Verdot,
Pinot Noir,
Riesling,
Sauvignon Blanc,
Semillon,
Syrah,
Viognier
20 May 2021
Miscellaneous wines of the moment
An enticing half-a-dozen of whites, red and rosés sourced from big supermarkets and one-store independents priced £7 to £10 in the UK.
Vara Rosé 2020 Cramele Recas Estate, Romania (12% abv) - Good-value dry and zingy rosé made from 65% Merlot and 35% Feteasca Neagra, which develops creamy straw-raspberry flavours followed by crisper cranberry type crunchiness. £7 Marks & Spencer (image from their site). Versatile with food.
Labels:
Arinto,
Australia,
California,
Chardonnay,
Fernão Pires,
Feteasca Neagra,
Grillo,
Lisboa,
Merlot,
Pinot Noir,
Portugal,
Romania,
rosé,
Sicily,
Spain,
Tempranillo,
Victoria,
Viosinho
24 April 2021
South of France: IGP and Vin de France
Many wine producers in southern France make wines labelled as Indication Géographique Protégée or IGP, which replaced Vin de Pays over ten years ago as part of a Europe-wide rationalisation of wine laws and 'trademarking' of specified wine areas. Hence in Italy, it's Indicazione Geografica Protetta or Indicación Geográfica Protegida in Spain, although confusingly they still also use the term Vino de la Tierra ('country wine') whereas the French have dropped Vin de Pays.
07 April 2021
Varietal wines of the moment (except Sauvignon blanc)
Finest Valle de Leyda Chardonnay 2020, Chile - Luis Felipe Edwards (13.5% abv): As soon as this delicious fruity Chardy was discovered among Tesco's large 'Finest' range, it went out of stock; hopefully just temporarily. Ripe peach and melon fruit with creamy tones then zestier citrus on its weighty but balanced finished. Oak is suggested in the blurb but it was hard to spot, perhaps adding to its rounded texture and cashew flavours. £8 Tesco. (Since then, a subsequent bottle did strangely taste oaky...)
Labels:
Chardonnay,
Chenin blanc,
Gewurztraminer,
Malbec,
Nero d'Avola,
organic wine,
Pinot Gris,
Pinotage,
Riesling,
Tempranillo,
Viognier
05 March 2021
Sicily: Ragusa and Agrigento
Aruci Aruci caffetteria, gelateria & Casa Siciliana Trattoria - Scicli, Ragusa province.
A few reminiscences, sightseeing tips, places to stay, photos and a little food and wine condensed from a lucky-break week spent in Sicily last September in between Covid restriction lockdowns. The plan was to avoid big towns and cities (so no Palermo or Catania this time unfortunately), hire a car, stay in the middle of nowhere and not tour around too much (pretty much the opposite of a 'normal' holiday), which part of the south of the gorgeous island provided a perfect backdrop for (Ragusa province and Agrigento a couple of hours up the coast).
24 February 2021
Zeitgeisty wines
Zeitgeisty is admittedly a little literary and pretentious, and I wasn't aware it was a word as such, in the adjective form with a 'y' ending, until I saw it recently in a one-line review on the back cover of a new book (quoting a well-known writer so it must be okay). Any road, this latest batch of wine buy tips kicks off with a handful of tasty drops of bubbly, which always has a certain 'spirit of the times' feel about it on any occasion and any time of year, especially to toast in winter drawing to a close sooner rather than later.
Labels:
Castelão,
Cava,
Chardonnay,
Chenin blanc,
Grenache,
Lisboa,
Oltrepò Pavese,
Pinot Noir,
Tinta Roriz,
Touriga Nacional,
Verdicchio,
Viognier,
Xarello
22 February 2021
'Noir, blanc or gris: Grenache is at home in the wild south' - The Wine Merchant magazine
Screenshot from the Feb. digital edition:
This short paragraph from an article in the February 2021 edition of The Wine Merchant magazine (UK business publication) is a taster of a few combined extracts from my book on the Roussillon region themed around the Grenache variety. Follow the link above to read the feature (full digital issue) or go to winemerchantmag.com to find out more and buy a printed copy.
Labels:
Grenache,
Roussillon,
The Wine Merchant magazine
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Header image: Château de Flandry, Limoux, Languedoc. Background: Vineyard near Terrats in Les Aspres, Roussillon.