Why drink anything else? | Tara on Pink Wine

Before I started at Heights Chateau, I worked in a wine store/wine bar where we had maybe 15 rosés, tops. Since coming to Heights Chateau in 2007, I've worked three summers where our PINK section consistently grows, now hovering somewhere around 75-80 producers. I think it's safe to say that the wines that exist somewhere between red and white have a special place in Matthew's heart and now mine. Even Dominique is under the influence of PINK, buying a three-liter BOX of rosé from Buzet.

+/- Why drink anything else? Tara on Pink Wine

(2010 Vinity Buzet Rose 3L Box $32.99) Drinking rosé year round is not unheard of, especially at Heights Chateau where we recommend it for food pairings year round, but summertime had another aspect which makes rosé even more palatable: hot weather.

While most of our customers LOVE a good rosé, I think there are still some misconceptions about wine that is neither white or red. The most tragic of these are:

1) All pink wine is sweet. -> False. We do stock a few sweeties, but virtually all of the roses in the store are dry. If dry is key, Provence or Loire is where it's at. If you want to go fairly fruity, try a rosé from Anjou or Tavel. If you want it super sweet, you might just head for the White Zinfandel and call it a day.

2) Rosé is made by adding red wine to white wine. -> False. Most producers choose to macerate the skins with the juice for a short time after crushing to impart color and flavor. And therein lies a major clue to the character of the wine: generally speaking, the deeper the color the more intensely fruity the wine will be.

3) Rosé doesn't go with food. ->False. For me, rosé paired with summer food is ideal, as it offers the best of both red and white wines.

Whether sparkly, organic or just plain good, we have one of best rosé selections (if I do say so myself) in Brooklyn for every palate, meal and/or budget. Stop by and find a new favorite!

Tara's TOP TEN favorites for this summer:

1) Chemin de Bassac 2010 Isa Rosé $13.99 (France)
Berry and cherry flavors with a medium body, impressive balance, a smooth mouth feel, and a persistent crisp and dry finish.Organic.

2) Chateau d'Oupia 2010 Minervois Rosé $13.99 (France)
This charming organic rosé is a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Cinsault and 10% Mourvèdre. Tangy strawberry flavors are complemented by citrus, spice and a hint of mineral.Organic.

3) Raffault 2010 Chinon Rosé $17.99 (France)
100% Cabernet Franc, with bright and lively strawberry fruit and a long, succulent finish.Natural.

4) Bio Vio 2010 Rossese di Albenga $20.99 (Italy)
The classic red wine of Liguria, Rossese is best served with first courses, red meat and seasoned cheeses. Light bodied and well rounded, with flavors of cherries, strawberries and black currants with good finesse and complexity, it is best consumed fresh and young, within two years of the harvest.Organic.

5) Croix du Prieur 2010 Provence Rosé $15.99 (France)
La Croix du Prieur is a certified organic winery located in the shadows of Mount Sainte Victoire. A blend of Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan, and Syrah, the wine is crisp and tangy with berry and citrus flavors, a Domaine Ott "lookalike" at a fraction of the price.Organic.

6) Lopez de Heredia 2000 Rosado Tondonia $24.99 (Spain)
Lopez de Heredia is noted for extensively aging their wines, releasing them to the market only when they believe they are fully matured; their reds generally remain in the winery's cellars for upwards of 10-20 years. In typical fashion for them, their rosé spends three years in oak, followed by additional bottle aging. Mostly Grenache, with a little Tempranillo and Viura blended in, the wine shows aromas of orange zest, peach, and a slightly silky nuttiness.Organic.

7) La Selve 2010 L'Audacieuse Rosé $17.99 (France)
Chateau La Selve is a dynamic new (started only in 2002)  producer in the Ardèche. "L'Audacieuse" is their top rosé cuvée, a blend primarily of Grenache and Syrah with some Cinsault and Viognier added in. The wine shows unusual depth and complexity for a rosé; fresh and lively, it has abundant mineral notes, a beautifully balanced acidic structure and elegant notes of fresh raspberry. Biodynamic.
(P.S. Try their entry level pink too!)


8) Lauverjat 2010 Sancerre Rosé $18.99 (France)
Made by Katherine and Christian Lauverjat entirely from estate-grown fruit, this 100% Pinot Noir rosé is light and lively, very dry, with subtle fruit and a touch of minerality. Deliciously complex, it has vibrant aromas of fresh flowers and red berries that explode out of the glass. This extremely food friendly wine is also a perfect warm-weather aperitif.Sustainable.

9) Sainte Lucie 2010 "MiP" Rose $14.99 (France)
The name of this wine says it all: "Made In Provence". It is a typical lighter-style rose perfect for parties, afternoons and gatherings throughout the hot season. It features light fruitiness, balanced acidity and a subtle body. Enjoy alongside anything or nothing as a refreshing summer treat!

10) Charles & Charles 2010 Rose $10.99 (USA)
Charles Bieler of Three Thieves/Rebel Wine/Bieler Père et Fils and Charles Smith of K Vintners/Magnificent Wine/Charles Smith Wines have teamed up on a delicious rosé offering. Their collaboration — aptly named "Charles and Charles" — has yielded a single-vineyard dry rosé made from 100% Syrah from the Wahluke Slope of Washington State. The nose is huge, all strawberry shortcake and rose petals, and the flavor is not sweet but tart, crisp, refreshing. Strawberry dominates, then some rounder smoother melon kicks in, and there is a hint of lime in the finish. Good acidity and structure make for a well constructed wine.

African-American vintners and winemakers

The African-American community can rightly take great pride in the accomplishments of its members in recent decades in a wide range of fields. African-Americans are now a highly visible presence in the arts, the media and academia as well as corporate America. In the wine world, however, they are only beginning to make their mark.Out of 900+ wineries in California, for example, fewer than ten are owned by African-Americans.

+/- African-American vintners and winemakers

(2010 Vinity Buzet Rose 3L Box $32.99)

Although few in number, these producers have enjoyed phenomenal growth and  critical success over recent years; they should, I think, be given greater recognition than they are by both the regular and the wine press for the quality of the products they craft and for their perseverance in pursuing and realizing their dream. They have proved that there is room for everybody and that great winemaking, like anything else, isn't a question of color, religion or race, but simply a matter of skill, experience, knowledge and savoir-faire with a little help from Mother Nature.

Part of the problem has been the lack of information and wine education available about and directed toward the African-American community. In the last decade, however, significant efforts have been made to counter this lack. The year 2002 saw the creation of two associations to respond to the needs of the African-American community: The "African American Wine Tasting Society" (AAWTS) and "The Association of African American Vintners" (AAAV) which includes several  Californian wineries, including Vision Cellars, Sharp Cellars, Running Tigers, Black Coyote, Stover Oaks, Theopolis Vineyards and Esterlina.

I bought for the store a few wines produced by Vision Cellars, a winery established in 1995 and dynamically run by its owner Mac McDonald, one of the pioneer African-American winemakers, who realized his dream of making wine and proudly released his first vintage in 1997. Although based in Windsor, a town in Sonoma,  Mac produces a small quantity of a dozen different wines from various regions of California including: Mendocino county, the Santa Lucia Highlands, Russian River, Chileno Valley, and  Marin County.

We carry three of his wine at the store, two different Pinot Noirs and a white blend. The wines are very good, balanced, complex and well crafted, and I did not buy them because they were a novelty, something to have in the store to show off. No, I bought them because the wines spoke for themselves, showing great character and taste. In fact, it was only after tasting the wines, while talking with my sales rep about the winery, that I realized that the winery was owned by an African-American family. I'm proud to have their wines on the shelves, and I do enjoy the  reactions of people when I tell them the story of the winery. I invite you to visit the winery web site at www.visioncellars.com for more information.
Here are the three wines to discover available at the store:




2007 Vision Cellars White Wine (Blanc Gris) California $19.99
Vision's 2007 white is sourced mostly from Napa Sauvignon Blanc with a healthy splash of Pinot Gris from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Pale gold in the glass, it offers aromas of apple, citrus and tropical fruit that immediately greet the nose, joined by layers of grass and river rocks. Its mouth-feel is light and refreshing, with flavors of citrus, dried stone fruit and mineral vivid through the mid-palate. The fruity core is balanced by tangy acidity into a long finish that ends with crisp lemon and lime notes. Enjoy it on its own, or paired with light pastas, seafood and poultry.

2006 Vision Cellars Pinot Noir Gary's vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands California $49.99
This boutique Sonoma winery, established in 1995, is all about capturing the essence of the Pinot Noir grape. This is a single-vineyard Pinot sourced from Gary's Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands; tangy and rich, it shows lots of concentrated cherry and cocoa on the nose and palate along with a long, spicy finish. Silky, balanced and delicious; only 252 cases produced.

2007 Vision Cellars Pinot Noir Coster Vineyard Russian River valley California $48.99
This dark, rich Pinot is sourced from Russian River grapes. Its nose is redolent of plump red cherries, cola, spice and mint. Fresh and smooth in the mouth, it has flavors of plum, cherries, caramel and spice that unfold on the palate, supported by fine tannins into a spicy, persistent finish. Less than 300 cases produced.
You can also see and order this wine directly on our website at  http://www.heightschateau.com/catalog/product_search_results.php/search=dmlzaW9uIGNlbGxhcnM=

–Dominique