Did you notice? Yesterday was National Wine Day!
Wine Grape Varietal Table
Steve and Deborah De Long’s popular Wine Grape Varietal Table mimics the familiar periodic table of the elements to categorize a world of wine grape varieties. It’s a great wine reference disguised as a fine-art print!
Click here to order one now.
Buy a recent tasting favorite online: Tenuta La Badiola 2013 “642 Il Canapone” ($18.99)
Suddenly, just like that, my news feed started filling up with exhortations to get out and drink wine. Even our local newspaper covered the day, surely to the delight of about eight local wine bars and wineries that reaped the free publicity. All over the nation, National Wine Day achieved, if not banner headlines, at least a tsunami of feature articles gently culled from news releases.
I never could figure out what business or trade organization came up with the bright idea for this event, though, and as best I can tell, Hallmark hasn’t created a card for it yet. There’s a National Wine Day Website and a National Wine Day Facebook Page, both of which self-referentially link back to each other; and a National Wine Day Twitter feed, where this all apparently got started back in 2009 with a social media vote to choose the day.
National #WineDay trended on social media.
I fired out Twitter and Facebook queries, which at this point remain unanswered. Then I spent a little time Googling around, which drew my attention to a similar event, National Drink Wine Day on February 18, sponsored by a wine-sales club. I clicked around a little more, and then, belatedly, asked myself, “Self, why are you wasting your time on this?”
After all, for most of us, doesn’t every day have the potential to be a wine day? Let’s open a bottle tonight!
After a late-spring chilly spell, it’s heading back to the upper 80s again today, rekindling my annual interest in good, crisp and dry rosé wines. Since we’ll be moving on to South African wines in our WineLovers Discussion Group forum’s monthly Wine Focus on June 1, after we wrap up this month’s survey on The Wines of Austria, why not a South African rosé? We enjoyed a fine example the other day: See below for my tasting report on Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé.
Today’s Sponsor:
Wine Grape Varietal Table
Steve and Deborah De Long’s Wine Grape Varietal Table is one of the most innovative wine-enthusiast notions I’ve seen. It mimics the familiar periodic table of the elements to categorize a world of wine grape varieties. A wine reference disguised as a fine-art print, it’s a great gift for a wine-loving friend – or yourself – and makes a fun wall display for cellar or study or tasting room. Click here to order now.
The De Longs also produce stunning, quality poster-size wine maps of France, Italy and other regions for $14.95 to $29.95. Click here to view and order any of the De Long wine maps.
Today’s Tasting Report
Mulderbosch 2015 Coastal Region Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé ($10.99)
Mulderbosch Rosé
Clear, pretty rosy pink that shows a hint of orange against the light. Its delicate but delicious scent offers light strawberries at first, then opens up to add hints of red cherry and juicy peach as the wine warms in the glass. These appetizing mixed fruit flavors carry over on the palate in a crisp, tart and dry flavor, with just a touch of prickly petillance on the tongue. Subtle strawberries and a tangy edge of citrus linger in a very long finish, and light 12.5% alcohol invites another glass. U.S. importer: Terroir Selections, St. Helena, Calif. (May 23, 2017)
FOOD MATCH: The winery leans toward a seafood match, suggesting pairings with fresh, seared tuna steaks, veal limone, poached salmon, cold crayfish salad, or sushi, with picnic fare or as an aperitif. We enjoyed it with linguine tossed with pastured eggs, garlic and Grana Padano cheese.
WHEN TO DRINK: Its Cabernet base and its sturdy modern screwcap assure a reasonable life, but still, rosés are best young and fresh, and the 2016 has already reached the market. I suggest drinking up the 2015s this summer and keeping an eye out for the most recent vintages in the future.
VALUE:
My local price is within reach of the 10$ U.S. average retail clculated by Wine-Searcher.com. Many vendors offer it for around $8. At these prices, it’s worth loading up for use as a summer sipper.
WEB LINK
Here’s a winery fact sheet on Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé, and a “tasting report on the 2015 vintage. And finally, here is a more detailed technical sheet.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Locate vendors and compare prices for Mulderbosch Coastal Region Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé on Wine-Searcher.com.
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