With its alluring scents, various flavors and lingering finishes it is easy to understand why wine is a dining staple, an always appreciated party gift and a must-have for romantic evenings. With an assortment of blends, old wines, new wines, and yes, even bad wines on the market, finding the perfect bottle for the right occasion can be tricky. Don’t settle for the pricey wine that fails to impress, find the one that people are talking about, that is the best in its class and that will have your friends convinced that oenology is in your genes. Here to help you navigate through the red, the white and the rose is the Wine Buzz.
What People are buzzing about: Rosé
Foxymoron
Listen, in the U.S. Rosé wine gets a very undeserved rap. OK, well, actually there are not THAT many good rosé wines made in the U.S. (we’ll tell you about a few shortly), but the varietal is as hot as it has ever been. Check the photos and blogs about the Cannes Film Festival or the Grand Prix of Monaco: That pink stuff in the bottle? Yup, Rosé. And, everyone from George and Stacy to Axl is drinking it… The great wines from France, Italy and Spain are hard to get because not a lot is made and even less is imported. The good news? We’ve got some for you that is really good, and just in case you are on your own austerity program, it is very reasonably priced…. Check it out:
Muga Rosé from Spain. Only found in restaurants it is priced between $25-$30 (Shutters and Bouchon have it). Also a great choice is from that Cannes-adjacent region of France, Domaine Fontsainte for under $40 at most Whole Foods; Bastianich Rosato covers Italy quite nicely for about $35-$40 a bottle at his Mozza and Coast Beach Bar & Cafe; And finaly some great stuff from the states would include the terrific guys at Presqu’ile (the name got me; I used to live in New Orleans!) in Santa Maria for under $30.
Bastianich Rosato
Santé
Gregory Day is the General Manager of Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, CA. He is credited for the introduction of the Wine Spectator award-winning wine program at the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, One Pico.
