Imbibe is a new semi-regular column that highlights wine, beer, hooch, booze, firewater, or any other kind of potent potables available around town that we think you should drink.

Like most Americans, I'm a victim of what I like to call "The Pink Plague." Back in the 1970s a winery called Sutter Home started selling off the overspill from their red wine operations and called it "White Zinfandel." A fluke in the fermentation process produced a bubblegum pink, cloying Kool-Aid sweet substance. By the 90s it was the wine to drink if you didn't like wine and it spawned a whole new genre of pink-colored liquid substances known as wine coolers. For years in America, if you were into wine, you steered clear of anything pink, just to be safe. It was a traumatic experience for all of us. I've only recently recovered from it. So over the years, I've missed out on some truly fantastic rosés. I've been making up for some lost time, though. And I've found a labels out there that have made me a true convert.

Nemorino

The owners of Tuscan winery Iusti & Zanza are opera afficionados. Every wine in their repertoire is named after a character in the comic opera L'elisir d'amore, or The Elixir of Love by Gaetano Donizetti. Here's a snippet right here if you're curious. Nemorino takes its name from the opera's protagonist, country rube with an requited love for a beautiful rich girl named Adina. To win her affections, he purchases a love potion from con man. Unbeknownst to our our protagonist, however, he's just purchasing a dose of bottled courage, that is, wine. 19th century farce and hijinks, of course, ensue. Now, I can't guarantee that you'll win anyone's affections with this wine, but it's certain won mine. Nemorino has a distinctively deep salmon hue to it. Made from 100 percent Syrah grapes, it's surprisingly lush and full-bodied for a rosé. If you closed your eyes you might even think you're drinking a red wine. On the palate it's as elaborate as a Wagnerian stage set, with subtle spicy notes, hints of ginger bread, a splash of cherry cola and a finish that goes on until the fat lady sings.

You can purchase it online from CWS righ here.

Cipresseto

Another Tuscan selection. Santa Cristina is the second label of the legendary winery Marchesi Antinori. The Antinori family became legendary for thumbing its collective nose at Italy's labeling laws. Back then, wine labeled as Chianti could only be made with native grapes like Sangiovese. Rather than making a wine based on some bureaucratically prescribed formula, however, the Antinoris experimented with Bordeaux grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon. And in 1975 they shook Italy with one of the world's first so-called "Super Tuscans." Nowadays, bottles of Tignanello go for around 480rmb. At Santa Cristina they do pretty good job with the pink stuff, too. Noble Tuscan varietals Sangiovese and Cannaiolo give this wine an inviting rosy complexion. On the nose, you've got austere flinty, minerally aromas that give way to crisp flavors of cherry and currant. Balanced acidity make this one quite the thirst-quencher -- an ideal outdoor sipper.

Purchase it online from Summergate here.

Rose of Virginia

The Barossa appellation is unique in Australia. It's one of the few appellations in the country that wasn't hit with the phylloxera, a sap-sucking aphid that can decimate entire vineyards. As a result, vines here can be as old as 130 years. Older vines produce lower yields. This means more nutrients from the soil go to fewer grapes. The end result, sweeter, more concentrated fruit. It's certainly worked in Charles Melton's case. This winery produces some of the richest, most extracted Shiraz and Grenache in the region. Melton has named this selection after his wife it's an eclectic mix of Grenache, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon with a few splashes of Pinot Meunier and Mourvedre thrown in at the end. It has an intense candy-like, fruity character without being thick and cloying. Think of it as a sophisticated fruit punch for grown-ups.

Purchase it online from Montrose here.

All Nightlife Articles » All Articles »

All Dining Articles » All Articles »

All Art & Stage Articles » All Articles »

All Activities Articles » All Articles »