A lot more wine, a French rose, and a new treat

I considered not commenting on the French rose I just tried, but today's other events make it worthy of a post. I noticed that we had been running low on white wines, so I decided to restock. I guess "running low" is a relative term, but any reason to buy more wine is a good reason. I will be posting on a lot of these in the near future. Based on the success of yesterday's Pinot Grigio della Venezie, I got several more Italian whites (mostly Pinots form different regions) and a couple of Viogniers. I also got a few French whites, particularly white Bordeaux, and a couple of red Cotes-du-Rhones, (one of which was a Crozes-Hermitage.)

Speaking of Cotes-du-Rhone, I tried I Cotes-du-Rhone rose tonight--a 2006 Paul Jaboulet Aine Parallele 45. It was not bad. Nothing to write home about, but not bad on a summer night. Many people automatically shun roses based on "yuppie kool aid" impressions of white zinfandel (which is not actually evil--I don't like it at all, but once you accept it for what it is, you realize that it has its place, especially as a transition for new wine drinkers.) Roses do not have to be like that. In fact, roses should bridge the gap between whites and reds. Ideally, they sould have the crisp fruitiness of a white with a little more body, beginning to lean in the direction of a red. I have tried several French and Spanish roses, and many of them have bridged this gap well, though in different ways. Spanish roses tend to be more tart and acidic, while French roses tend to be less acidic and a little more viscous (like a chardonay or viognier.) Many of the Spanish roses I have tried have been based on Garnache/Grenache, and I thought a Cotes-du-Rhone rose would be more similar to them. In fact, I found the Parallele 45 much more similar to the other French roses I have tried. I immediately found strawberries on the nose, with a touch of a dairy smell--think strawberry yogurt. After a while I realized the other, more elusive aroma was definately kiwifruit--very interesting when paired with the strawberry yogurt. The body was less crisp and more viscous than I expected, and the finish reminded me of oranges. It was a decent wine on its own, but it really shone forth when paired with leftover Chinese food (Mongolian shrimp and Dan Dan noodles.) It achieved a burst of fruitiness in the midpalate that I had not noticed when it was alone. We often forget that as good as wine can be on its own, it is designed to go with food. Sometimes a wine that blends into the background can jump to the forefront when tasted with food. Although this wine was not exceptional, it was good--especially with the leftovers from Pei Wei.

On a final note, I have recently had a growing interest in tequila. This is a drink which is so often relagated to the gutter of the beverage world, but really has potential. The difference in "good" tequila and "bad" tequila can be quite amazing (and a bit overwhelming), and many people have only experienced bad tequila. On a whim, I asked my favorite local wineshop for a couple of tequila suggestions. On their recomendation, tonight I tried two tequilas--Don Julio blanco and Sauza "Hornitos" reposado. For those of you not familiar with tequila distictions, blanco or silver is clear and unaged (it looks like vodka), joven or gold is slightly aged or has added food coloring (yuck), reposado is aged in wood and is natually caramel colored, and anejo is extensively aged. Based on my uneducated first impression of the two, I liked the Sauza Hornitos reposado much better. The blanco was very...I want to say "fruit forward," but I guess I should say "agave forward." It was sharp and hot. It reminded me of a flavored vodka. It was not "bad"--no off flavors or artificial, chemically finish, but it was a little too young and harsh for my tastes. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the reposado. I had tried a different reposado before and it was very harsh, but the Sauza was great. It was very herbal on the nose, floral and fruity on the finish, and incredibly smooth. This is a great drink for sipping. I still know very little about tequila, but I am impressed with the Sauza Hornitos reposado. For $20 (a steal for a reposado), it was a great suggestion--hats off once again to my local wineshop, which has seldom failed me. Who knew tequila could be this complex?

So that was my evening--a trip to the wineshop and lots of new wines to try, a decent if not stellar Cotes-du-Rhone rose, and a nice surprise in the Sauza "Hornitos" reposado tequila. Now, its off to tackle those new wines...

Rojo, The Fretted Zither
...a wine blog from East Nashville