Forty Ounce Rosé Wine
Some may say Easter should be the official gun start to rosé season, like white shoes and Memorial Day. Truth is, you can be drinking these gorgeous bottles all year if you'd like. What we know about the wine world in 2018 is that the rules are changing—hello, forties. Here are a few early season picks that will get the pink flowing.
Forty Ounce Rosé is finally in our market! This front stoop- and picnic-ready wine from France is really good. Bringing back your Mickey's days and your OldE 800 parties, this one brings the pink (better than Champale ever did). The wine is a blend of sustainably raised Gamay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Pineau d’Aunis. It's fruit forward and fun—unscrew the top and take a pull. There's also a Muscadet, which is fresh and lively. About $19, find it at South Lyndale, France 44, 1010 Washington, Zipp's, Henry & Son, and Sunfish Cellars.
Steph's rose wine picks
More picks, from left to right . . .
Rosé All Day in a can. Another cute Frenchy breaking the rules, this is the official wine of the hashtag. From the Languedoc-Roussillon region, it's crisp and fresh with a lingering fruit. $4.99 for a single can at Lakeside Wine + Spirits.
Landskroon Pinotage Rosé from South Africa. This one is less fruity and more crisp. Floral notes with a well-balanced acidity make it good for brunch in my book, and nice price around $9 a bottle.
Le Provencal Cotes de Provence. Let's be honest, this bottle is a table-maker and fulfills all your nieces and nephews genie dreams. Good news, the wine inside is floral and full of berry flavor. It's a great cocktail-hour wine to start the party. Of course it comes in a smaller size, but the 1.5L big beauty will only run you $20 right now at Lakeside and Lowry Hill.
Spell continues to be one of my favorites. This Vin Gris of Pinot Noir from Sonoma is just freaking lovely with a lush minerality I dig. In that pricier range of rosé, around $24, it's a better wine for me than the oft-hyped Miraval.
The Emily from Longridge. Some of you know how obsessed I am with The Emily, which isn't really your traditional rosé. It's a Chardonnay-Pinot Noir blend that carries a light pink hue, called the "oeil de perdix" or eye of the partridge. It's light and smooth, but not frivolous. It drinks like a dream and you'll find yourself suddenly at the end of the bottle, wondering why you didn't buy a case. I get it at France 44 or Lakeside for about $15.
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