A couple of Saturday night’s ago I had the privilege to taste through some interesting summer wines with some of my closest friends. The results were extremely interesting pretty much across the board. However, prior to getting into the wines themselves I would like to note a few important concepts that were running through my mind as I tasted through this flight of wines.
Kosher Wine Quality VS Price in White and Rose Wine
I have written this on the blog before, but I would like to take the time to make this point front and center. Generally, the quality of kosher white and rose in the budget category far exceeds the quality of red wines in the same price category. The reason for this is simple, kosher red wine is almost always more expensive than kosher white wine. The reason lies in the simple concept of supply and demand. Since most kosher drinkers don’t appreciate the nuances of white and rose wine, there is less demand. This allows the savvy budget consumer to buy up white and rose wines that far outperform their red wine counterparts in terms of quality per dollars spent. Classic examples of noble grape varietals such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling are available to the kosher drinker for relatively modest prices with some exceptions that usually occupy the dessert wine or sparkling wine segment. Go and get them!
What’s the deal with Rose?
Many new wine drinkers may wonder how this strange middle ground wine between white and red wine is made. The answer is fairly simple, and emanates from the fact that color in red wine is derived from the skins of the wine. There are three primary methods by which the amount of pigment from the grape skins can be limited to create a pink hue.
The Maceration Method
This method is used in areas of the world where primary production is either rose or white wine, and is the most expensive method. In the maceration method, the grapes are pressed and let to macerate with their skins for a limited amount of time in order to leach out a small amount of the pigmentation. Following the separation of the juice from the skins, the skins are thrown out or used as fertilizer in the vineyard. This method is prevalent in areas famous for their rose wine such as Provence, in the south of France.
The Saign’ee Method
Saign’ee literally means “to bleed” in French, which is essentially what this methods involves. When red grapes are harvested, crushed and put into a tank to ferment, a certain amount of juice may be bled off of the tank and used to make rose wine. This juice is from a larger batch of red wine but by virtue of it being bled off from the rest of the juice early, it only retains a small amount of pigment from the skins in the original juice. This method is used in regions where primary production is red wines, such as Napa Valley.
The Champagne Method
As the name connotes this method is used most often in sparkling wines and involves the actual blending of red and white wines together to create a rose wine. The pink wine blend is then put into bottles or tanks for secondary fermentation responsible for the carbonation in the final product.
The Wines
Galil Mountain Sauvignon Blanc, 2015 (Shmitta): $15
This wine has notes of zesty lemon and lime on the nose, along with grapefruit pith, green herbs (characteristic of Israel), oregano, basil, and some salty mineral notes in the background. This wine is as clean and crisp as it gets, it’s beautifully complex and sharp. The palate is no different, extremely fresh and clean with a pleasing background of minerality. This is a full bodied Sauvignon Blanc that will stand up to a wide variety of cuisine, from rich dairy foods to poultry.
Score: A-
Value Score: A-
Consensus Score: A/A-
Consensus Value Score: A/A-
Ramat Negev Autumn Sauvignon Blanc, 2016: $18
This wine is really not a summer wine, but it was included here as it was my first experience with it, although I suppose the name should have tipped me off! This wine is off dry with some residual sugar evident on the palate. That being said this wine would go over well with the new wine drinker as it has some complexity but it’s a bit sweet and low in alcohol. The wine itself has an aroma of dried flowers, rose petals, and ripe stone fruit. The mouth has some acid and has some balancing freshness as it opens in the glass, with notes of green apples and baking spices dominating.
Score: B
Value Score: B+
Consensus Score: B/B+
Consensus Value Score: B
Borgo Reale Rose, 2016 $13
This was one of the most pleasing wines of the evening, and at the modest price it’s a real winner. The wine has a nose of mineral, parsley, watermelon, pineapple, and lemon thyme. The mouth is all crisp fruit and fresh herbs. This wine has enough acid to bring it all together without overpowering. It’s very easy drinking with some nice complexity of flavors. This wine should be best enjoyed with light meals and early on in the season as I don’t think this level of enjoyment will last terribly long.
Score: A-
Value Score: A
Consensus Score: A-
Consensus Value Score: A/A-
Chateau Bellerives Dubois Bordeaux Rose, 2016: $11.99
This wine has a nose of flowers, pineapple, strawberry, cherry, and cranberry. The wine also has a slate characteristic that shines through on the nose. I did not find the wine to have a terribly expressive mouth, but it has some faint red berry flavors with pleasing acidity and good balance. A nice wine, but I was not overwhelmed.
Score: B
Value Score: B+
Consensus Score: B
Consensus Value Score: B
Dalton Alma Crimson Rose, 2016: $22
This wine has a curious nose of oak and butter, almost like an oaked chardonnay. The wine is interesting for a rose as its fairly full bodied, and not what I was expecting. The mouth is crazy all-spice, oak, butter and some red fruit. This wine is really not for summer and may be a bit off balance for my palate. This may go ok with turkey or grilled game meats that demand a more full bodied wine. I felt that this wine missed the mark and was a bit unfocused.
Score: B-
Value Score: B-
Consensus Score: B-
Consensus Value Score: B-
Flam Rose, 2016: $29.99
This was the disappointment of the night; the wine really did not live up to the price or to the quality of previous vintages. The wine had a nose of rotting flowers, red candy, overripe fruit, and an odd minty note. The mouth was flat with less acid than I would expect. The flavor is herbaceous with saline, citrus in the background. This wine will really not hold up in my estimation as it’s lost a lot of freshness since my last tasting back in February at the KFWE show.
Score: B
Value Score: C+
Consensus Score: B
Consensus Value Score: B-
La Ferrage, Cote de Brouilly Beaujolais, 2013: $25
This wine was included in the summer wine post even though it is crazy versatile, because it is meant to be enjoyed slightly chilled and does exhibit some of the freshness needed in a summer wine. The wine has light notes of roasted meat, cigar box, gun powder, blue fruits, and peppercorns on the nose. The wine is bone dry and light in body, with a nice acid structure. Flavors of pencil led, cinnamon, and light red fruit dominate the refreshing palate.
Score: A-
Value Score: A
Consensus Score: A
Consensus Value Score: A
L’chaim!