Spring is now here! The pink wine was flowing at the Pink Out! event in San Francisco. It’s an annual happening celebrating Rose´wines, put on by the Rose´Advocates & Producers (RAP). It’s a great reason to break out your pink clothes and accessories. Real men do drink and wear pink! And yes, that’s my pink shoe. Rose´ wines are fantastic — dry and crisp and light, perfect for warm weather drinking. Rose´ is made from a variety of grapes, from Pinot Noir to Syrah to Tempranillo. I tasted old and new favorites, so here’s my shout out list. My “go to” Rose´ bottlings: Lucia – a Rose´ of Pinot Noir from the Pisoni family. Zippy with lots of strawberry Blackbird “Arriviste” -A beautiful Rose´ of Merlot Azur Rose´ – I first discovered Julien Fayard’s delicious Rose´ at last year’s Pink Out. It’s as good as ever, a classic southern France-style…
Drink – Premiere Napa Valley #premiereNV
It’s the beginning of the wine social season if you will — Premiere Napa Valley. This past weekend trade and media descended on the valley to taste special barrel lots created by Napa Valley winemakers that are auctioned off on Saturday afternoon. It’s a chance to meet the winemakers and owners, and to network within the industry. There are winery open houses, dinners, wine and more wine. This is when you get a good feel for the vintage. Here, the 2008 reds made their debut. There were many issues with that growing season, including frost and fires. Yields were low. Winemakers who’ve been holding their collective breath can breathe a sigh of relief. Almost everyone I talked to is very pleased with the wines. To me, they are restrained but complex, with long finishes. PNV is also about buying wine. All the auction lots are exclusive to the Premiere Napa…