June has been a whirlwind of a month. Restrictions have been lifting on stay-at-home orders, and then almost immediately they were being put back in place as virus cases shot up. There is a lot of discord related to the wearing and not wearing of masks. People are making a real effort and showing up for the Black Lives Matter movement. June also marks the summer solstice as well as National Rosé Day. My husband ran a 100-mile race in less than 24 hours, and I tried three different Rosés. We’ve got some different priorities. Haha! Browne Family Vineyards 2018…
Tag: france
May 2020 Wines
Another month has gone by. I think people are finally settling into this quarantine/social distancing zone. I’ve started seeing many more people observing the distancing rules and wearing masks when in public. As summer creeps in though, it’s starting to feel like more of a loss. The weather is nice and there’s an increased feeling of the need to be outside and around others. It’s a good thing there is good wine to distract us with! I’m hoping most everyone has a place they can enjoy the outdoors though. Kirkland Signature 2019 Rosé – Rating 4/5 This wine was from…
April 2020 Wines
April seems to have flown by, but at the same time lasted forever. It’s all a bit of a blur at this point in these quarantimes. I’m thankful that my wine clubs are still shipping, the temperature is getting warmer, and the sunshine is lasting longer. I also don’t mind my social media feeds being filled with photos of bread baking. I hope everyone is still staying safe and sane in these wild times. Dom Perignon 2008 – Rating 5/5 This wine was from Champagne, France and sampled on April 3, 2020. This celebratory bottle was a gift from my…
Zazou Picpoul de Pinet
Ok. Ok. I know I say I’m excited to try something every week. But damn. There are just too many interesting wines out there and it’s difficult not to get excited about them. But when you get a wine in your box that it’s name means, “Lip Stinger,” the intrigue and excitement rises on it’s own. The varietal I’m talking about this week is Picpoul de Pinet. Literally translated, “sting the lips.” It is also known as Piquepoul and sometimes referred to as just Picpoul. Most Picpoul grapes are grown in the Languedoc region of France, and indeed that is…
Maison Marcel Rosé
Another day, another rosé, or at least that’s how I hope my life plays out. If they all come in such beautiful bottles as this one, then even better! What can I say? Of course I was excited for more rosé! I’m glad we all seem to be agreeing that it’s not just for summer anymore. This wine was a blend of 55% Muscat, 30% Grenache, 10% White Muscat, and 5% Merlot. The grapes were grown in the Aix en Provence region in France, which is known for producing Rosé. It is the second largest region in Provence, lucky for…
La Perdrix Costieres de Nimes Rouge
I found myself with another wine from La Perdrix this week and a husband who wanted to grill steaks. Fortunately for me, the wine was a red and my husband is excellent at grilling steaks. I prepped some sweet potatoes and we were all set! This wine was a blend of 45% Grenache, 35% Syrah, and 20% Carignan. My husband’s favorite varietal so far has been Syrah, so I was very pleased to have something along the lines that I hoped he would enjoy. Since we had already learned so recently about the region this wine was from and history…
La Perdrix Costieres de Nimes Blanc
To be honest, I was saving this bottle from my monthly shipment for last because it was the most intriguing. The gold color shined from the bottle and seethed richness. The label, with its partridge art reminded me of the paintings hung in my grandparents’ house of different depictions of grouse in hunting scenes. Perdrix means partridge and when I looked up this winery I was unsurprised to find that its name was based on a hunting reference. The region this winery is located in was a very popular area for hunting and was a particular favorite of King Louis…
Domaine de la Damase Grenache
I was really digging the word cloud style of this wine’s label when I first saw it. I’m always a fan of a good word cloud and I thought this was a pretty unique and fun way to label a wine. I was excited about this wine because it was 100% Grenache. Up until now I had only had Grenache in different red blends. Sometimes it made up about 90% of the bottle, but never a full bottle until now. In researching this vineyard and wine, I stumbled upon a website for the vineyard, which explained that it was operated…
Chateau Allegret Entre-deux-Mers
I was very excited for this week! The beautiful green of the glass bottle with the intricate label was calling out to me. This would mark my first white wine from the infamous Bordeaux region. For some reason, Bordeaux is just what I think of as the quintessential wine region. It always makes me feel extra fancy saying that I’m drinking a wine from Bordeaux. It might be silly, but it is the reputation that the region has garnered. Entre-deux-Mers is the sub-region of Bordeaux, France where this wine came from. The name translates to “between two seas” in reference…
Zazou Minervois
Moving back to the Wine Awesomeness monthly box this week, meant trying another type of wine that I had never seen before. This time, it was a Minervois. I quickly discovered that Minervois is an appellation, the title given to a specifically styled product from a specific place or region, for red wines in western Languedoc France. Although the Minervois title is usually bestowed upon red wines, it also covers rosés and white wines as well. This wine was made up of the most prominent varietals for the region. It was 60% Syrah, 30% Grenache, and 10% Mouvedre. * It…