Rosé wines for the Summer

Recently I had a few friends over for a Rosé wine tasting.

I picked 5 Rosé wines to taste, here's my ratings or thoughts.

Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2010: ...What can I say about this South African wonderful contender? Well for starters it's only $10.99 per bottle. This is the perfect summer wine for hearty red wine drinkers, if you like your beefy Cabs then you'll love this bottle. In the last 10 years, it's been rated in the Wine Spectator for 80+ points. Mulderbosch should be chilled and then served about 30 minutes after its been chilled. The taste has hints of strawberry, pepper, and a hint of melon. As it breathes its bouquet just blossoms (no pun intended.) I approve go out and buy a few bottles

Coteaux d'Ancenis Gamay 2009: A french Rosé made from Gamay grapes (known to make the cheerful red wine, Beaujolais) from the Loire Valley. This was a Rosé that I would serve slightly chilled, DO NOT SERVE REFRIGERATED. At first I could taste a hint of bitter apple, but then once I let it breathe it had a hint of raspberry. Something I'd serve with apples and a sharp cheese. It was okay, retail any where from $6 - 9.

Korbel Sweet Rosé Sparkling: Okay...(sigh) well it's sweet and very beautiful to look at in the flute. The taste was all over the place, it was like they tried to put everything in this wine. It had tastes of a young peppery/fruity Pinot Noir, Gamay, and a tiny bit of young non aged Zinfandel. Hey if you like a sweet wine then this is your pick. It had tastes of sugar, fermented sugar, and melon. It was too sweet for me.

Oliver Estates Soft Rosé: This is how a nice summer sweet Rosé blend should taste like. Oliver Estates is from Indiana http://www.oliverwinery.com/softrose this is the only website I will plug. First off, it's only $8 a bottle but don't let that get ya. The soft Rosé is sweet with no after taste. Of course not it's 100% Gamay grapes, very jammy. You will taste hints of sugar, concord grape, and black cherry. Go purchase this if you like sweet, it will go well with dark chocolate!!!

Biere et Fils Coteaux 2010 Rosé: I've been saving the best for last. This bad boy has a 50% Syrah, 30% Grenache, and 20% cab...can I get an AMEN. This was a light color wine, almost peach. Trying and capturing a taste of crisp, smooth, Grenche.  The Rosé shares tastes of strawberry, melon, and pear but it was perfectly balanced. This goes with cheeses but this wine I want to buy a case for home.

Cheers and drink,
Angela

Things on my mind:

Sweet Wines for the Summer

Okay so a few friends have been asking about sweet wines for the summer. I have a few in mind, reds and whites.

Let's start off with Reds:

• My all time favorite is a port from Terra d'oro, Zinfandel Port (http://terradorowinery.com/zinfandel-port.php). This sweet port is best enjoyed with dark chocolate. I recommend opening it and let it breathe for a couple of hours before drinking. I think it tastes the best once open and drank the next day. The taste is jammy with hints of berries and oak, a wine that's perfect for dessert. The more the port breathes tastes of cocoa, caramel, and raisin pops out. This wine retails anywhere from $10 - 15 depending on state and wine shop. 
• The next red is more of a fruity red that never fails. George Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau (http://www.duboeuf.com/index.php?lang=en#/en/page/Selection/Beaujolais-Fleurs-Beaujolais) wine doesn't need to breathe it's ready to drink. The light red wine that has hints of strawberry and cherry and is great with cheese or drank by itself. Retails for about $10.
• The Ridge Winery in Indiana makes a wonderful Blackberry Red Wine. This was a 2008 Silver Medal Winner (http://www.theridgewinery.com/index.html this winery is on the Indiana wine trail and it's about 45 minutes away from Cincinnati) is a great wine served chilled or at room temperature. They have a couple more wines that are sweet and they have a beautiful tasting room/deck that overlooks the Ohio River. Retails for about $12.

White Wines:

• It's all about the Germans!!! Leonard Kreusch (http://www.kreuschwines.com/german.html) has a whole line of sweet whites that are very inexpensive, so drink up. My first pick is the Kabinett white; it's a sweet white that doesn't hurt your jaw when drinking. The wine has hints of pear and apple and it retails for $5. Remember just because it's cheap doesn't mean it's bad! My second pick is the Liebfraumilch Rheinhessen. Oh my I love this wine, it's sweet to the taste but has a finish of a fruity white. Another one with Pear flavors and also retails for $5. You can find all of his wines at Kroger. 
• Terra D'oro (http://terradorowinery.com/moscato.php)...and the Italians come in second for great white wines in my book. Terra D'oro has a wonderful Moscato that's perfect for a hot day. This wine is best served chilled and paired with fruits, cheeses, or drank by itself. If you like the taste of peach, melon, or honey this is the wine for you. This wine retails for about $8 a bottle. 
• Bianco Dolce Lambrusco Dell'Emilia (Party Source has it on sale for $5.99 and it's another Italian) This light white wine has a little bit of bubble and is best served chilled. It has hints of melon and cherry to the taste. My recommendation is to buy it buy the case so it's in your wine collection for the summer! I love this wine; everyone that I serve it to loves it. 
• And last but definitely never least is Kentucky's very own Elk Creek (http://www.elkcreekvineyards.com/). I have two picks from this winery.  First of course is their Gewurztraminer, this has cantaloupe and citrus to the taste. (Their Riesling is a great sweet wine as well) The Gewurztraminer is perfect served chilled and its $19. The next one is Viognier, I had this the other night, and it has a finish like a Chardonnay with out the oak taste. This fruity wine is only $10. It's a clean wine that has tastes of honey and floral. It's perfect with chicken and light dinner pairings. 

These are my sweet wine picks for the summer, so drink up and enjoy. Remember if you live in the Greater Cincinnati area you can always email me and I can recommend wines for your party, dinner party, collection or whatever. I will meet you and pick wines to your budget and taste. I will charge you a small travel fee for my travel and time (I come cheap lol). My email is angela.laible@insightbb.com.

Cheers,

Angela