Labor Day this past Monday was our first day off since we opened on July 21; needless to say, it was really nice to have a break. Aimee & picked up a bunch of stuff for a picnic lunch, grabbed a bottle of Domaine Tempier rosé from the shop, and spent a nice afternoon at the beach. This was the first time we’d had the ‘07 Tempier, and it was delightful, as well it should be for just under $40. Great depth of flavor, with abundant floral notes, fruit, and minerality. (Generally it seems most rosés only have 2 of the three, if that.)
As good as it was, for me personally if I was going to spend $40 on a bottle it wouldn’t be on rosé. (The Tempier, though, along with all the other rosés at the shop, has been selling quite well, probably since we put them front and center and talk abou them at the drop of a hat.) For whites a good Burgundy or Alsatian Riesling would be my first pick; for reds Burgundy, anything from Spain (Priorat, Ribera del Duero, Toro, Rioja), a domestic Pinot, or a Barbaresco.
Back to rosé – it’s been great how many people are willing to try a bottle based on our enthusiasm, and even better that most of them have returned within a couple of days to pick up a few more bottles. It’s a great summer wine, but it’s also a great year-round food wine. People drink white all year long, so it makes no sense to me why they don’t drink rosé all year long. The wines have good acidity, the body and red fruit flavors to stand up to richer foods, and the delicacy to work well with lighter fare.
I’ll cut down on our selection for fall and winter (and put another display on the metal tree), but we’ll keep a few choices for throughout the year; I actually just ordered 5 cases of the Triebaumer rosé of Blaufrankisch from Austria, which we’re pouring by the glass and is phenomenal (especially for about a third of the price of the Tempier!)