While there is a plethora of Roses across the city, the quality can be quite variable. Check the vintage year on the bottle carefully. Roses are meant to consume within the first year or so of release. After that, they can lose much of their freshness. For me, this translates into going for the freshest, most recent vintage. If it’s not in stock, ask the retailer if you can order it. Good Luck.
AJ’s Fine Foods:
Bieler Pere & Fils 2008 Sabine: A classic Provence Rose; light and refreshing dried cherry intermingled with a little oak; 15% Syrah, 25% Grenache, 60% Cabernet Sauvignon; good value at $10.99
Crios de Susana Balboa Rose of Malbec 2008; An Argentina version of Rose with pleasant spiced cherry and strawberry; another good value at $11.99
Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2008; A South Africa version of Rose with dried cherry with a ? hint of tobacco and spice; $12.99
Syncline Rose Columbia Valley 2007; a different array of light fruit flavors from those above with watermelon and a hint of pear; nice balance and spice; Grenache, Mouvedre, and Cinsault (classic Rose blend); $15.99
Domaine de Nizas Coteaux du Languedoc Rose 2007; a bit more focused and firm than the usual Rose with deeper fruit flavors such as plum and berry. More threads of tannin in this one but it balances out nicely; I like this as a Rose with a little more personality than usual; $14.99
Costco:
E Guigal Cotes du Rhone 2007; a wonderful rose from a quality producer; lively, fresh flavors of dried cherry and strawberry; look for the ’08 when it’s available locally; $11.59
Total Wine:
Carol Shelton Rendezvous Rose Mendocino Cty 2007; a wonderfully crisp and delightful California Rose with distinct watermelon aromas and an underlying hint of cranberry; produced from the Carignane grape; $15.79
Paul Jaboulet Aine Cotes du Rhone Rose Parallele “45” 2006; I’m listing this wine as the producer has a quality reputation. I would not, however, risk a three year old Rose. Better to check if you can order the ’07 (or ’08 if it’s available). His Roses are classically quite tasty; $11.99 for the ’06.
R. Gassier Costieres de Nimes Rose Chateau de Nages VV 2007; Lively wine with fresh cherry aromas and flavors; great pricing at $9.99.
Henri de Lanzac Tavel Chateau de Segries 2008; This is a wonderful representation of what a Rose can be…lovely aromas of cherry and watermelon carried on a spicy frame; $16.99
Domaine de la Mordoree Tavel Rose 2007; A full bodied representation of Rose with a deep and slightly bitter cherry flavor (hint of kirsch); solid and well balanced; a bit pricey for a Rose but you pay for quality……$24.99
Chateau Grand Cassagne Costieres de Nimes Rose 2007; reminds me a bit of the Mulderbosch with cherry and tobacco hints; nice wine and very affordable….$9.99
Marques de Caceres Rioja Rosado 2007; A Spanish Rose with cherry, hints of rose and herbs….while this is a good deal, the ’08 should offer more freshness…$9.99
E Guigal Cotes du Rhone 2007 (see above)
Beverage House:
Crios de Susana Balboa Rose of Malbec 2008 (see above)
Rumrunner:
Bieler Pere & Fils 2008 (see above)
M Chapoutier Cotes du Rhone Rose Belleruche 2007; from a top notch producer comes a tasty Rose with minerally driven watermelon and floral notes; $13.99
Pastiche:
Carol Shelton Rendezvous Rose Mendocino City 2006*; $19.99
* see description of ’07 above
BevMo:
McDowell Grenache McDowell Valley 2006; while this is an ’06, it is still a very expressive wine with lots of strawberry, raspberry and even a touch of vanilla. I didn’t taste this when it was first released but I wonder if its character was even more pronounced early on; $13.99
Beckmen Grenache Sta Ynez Valley Purisima Mountain Vineyard 2007; a lot of energy going on in this wine with smokey strawberry and raspberry aromas and a creamy finish. I like this wine; $17.99
Chateau Ste. Michelle Nellie’s Garden Col Valley 2007; an average Rose with pleasant raspberry flavors; nice everyday Rose for a very reasonable price….$8.99
Tags: Rose wine
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[...] While Rose wine is wonderfully refreshing as a stand alone, this piece would not be complete without some references to matching cuisines. I once read that Rose has a split personality with one foot in the red world with the other in the white. It almost reminds me of a light red but with the chilled character of a white. Because these wines are light, fruity and off dry to bone dry, they pair with nearly anything! If you know anything about me by now, you know that I first think about regionality in pairing. As this wine has its home in the Mediterranean region (SE France), pairing Rose with nearly any grilled dish, poultry, beef, works beautifully. Or how about a Mediterranean salad or a vegetable display? Away from regional pairings think about our discussion of contrasts (see Wine and Food segment Archives). For example, how about pairing spicy Mexican, Asian or Thai cuisine with a fruity, refreshing Rose? Even a tasty hamburger or pizza will work here. So give a shot at a Rose over the summer and give me some feedback. Could this be one of your new favorite summer wines? And look for quality Roses in Tucson the Wine Finder Rose section. [...]
[...] is a great choice and is available in town. For more on Roses, check out these two articles http://www.wineinquirer.com/2009/06/roses-for-the-summer/ and [...]