Tag Archives: Rosé wine

Snob Wine of the Month | Wine Reviews

I Greco Savu Rosato

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Cost: Average price $19

Where buy now: Zipp’s Liquor Store

Grapes: Gaglioppo

Region: Calabria, Italy

Vintage: 2011

i Greco Savu Rosato

Savu in my heart

Calabria I listen

My mouth awakens

I present Savu, the Calabrian wonder Rosé. Well, I don’t think that’s how they market their wine but that’s how I’m describing it. It had been a couple months since my last haiku, but this was plenty enough to inspire me.

Why am I gushing about Calabria, well it’s simply a matter of history. My history, yes, but I’m selfish like that. My Grandma’s side of the family comes from Calabria so therefore, it instantly peaks my curiosity. Calabria is the “toe” of the Italian boot. It’s a region that has been raped and pillaged by several different warring conquerors. It’s rough terrain, wrought with earthquakes, and due to a long standing feudal system, people weren’t able to own land and suffered from poverty. Hmm, sounds great! No wonder there was a mass exodus in the late 19th-early 20th century to the new world, mainly the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Australia.

Times, they are a-changing. Calabria is becoming more of a travel destination as is the rest of Southern Italy. They are exporting delicious olives, olive oils, figs and what’s this. . .wine? The main grape indicative to Calabria is called Gaglioppo (gah-L’yee-OHP-poh). It is used to make Ciro, probably one of their more popular wines. The grape is known to provide a full-bodied red wine that is rich in spices, smoke and tannins. This is indicative of Calabrian wines made with grapes grown toward the bottom of the mountains. They grow in warmer temperatures near the sea which bring out the grapes’ intensity.

The Savuto wines are made with Gaglioppo grapes grown at a higher altitude. This creates a little more balance, the wines are softer and lighter in that the grapes get the warmth of the sun during the day but in the evenings, it cools off. Tis what’s happened with the grapes used to make the I Greco Savu Rosato (Rosé in Italian). This Rosé isn’t that bright pink color like we’ve been seeing in other Rose’s. This one has an orange-pinkish hue. It’s interesting, not in a Yoko Ono-odd kind of way. But it’s mildly complex and delicious! It’s wine you’ll drink in and feel transported to the Calabrian hills.

Unlike some Rosé’s that have that strawberry fruit forward taste, this one does have red fruit character but it’s layered with a floral, salty and spicy quality.

If the price was lower, I’d cellar up with this baby for the Summer. Alas, it does toggle my $15 price point so I Greco Savu Rosato is my Snob Wine of the Month. I’m glad to have enjoyed it and hope you’ll give the Calabrian wine a chance to wet your whistle!

Red Wine of the Week | Red Wine Reviews

Hendry 2011 Rosé

Cost: Average price $15

Where buy now: Solo Vino

Grapes: Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Primitivo

Region: Napa Valley, California

Vintage: 2011

Hendry 2011 Rosé

Yep, you’ve probably all been waiting with bated breath for the next Red wine of the week (or, perhaps semi-bated breath?). My day job responsibilities prohibited me from sticking to task, once again. And what’s this?  Another Rosé? Oh, just shut up and trust me.

I was introduced to this Rosé at Solo Vino’s Rosé Tasting a couple week’s back. After reviewing my notes, this one was starred by both myself and my husband. Say “hello” to Hendry Rosé from Napa Valley.

Admittedly, I am not as familiar with Napa as I am Sonoma Valley, but this wine embodies all the things I love. First, it hails from a family owned farm (since 1939!). Second, they solely use their own estate grapes to produce wines. They make wine in small batches and that can only lead to quality. This 2011 Rosé marks their 20th vintage!

This wine is created using saignée (Sahn-yay), which means bleeding in French. The saignée method is when the juice is allowed to macerate (soften in liquid) the skins, which is done to extract a certain color. When the wine turns the desired hue (pink, salmon, cranberry, puce, etc.), the tank is then opened to let the wine “bleed off” into another tank to be fermented and made into Rosé. The remaining wine stays in the tank to macerate longer to give the wine a deeper red color, and later is fermented to become a “standard” red wine. Such elaborate technique to refine nature into your bottle of wine! It’s all quite blinding, this science.

This wine is made with the following grapes: Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc & Primitivo. If you are fans of any (or all),  this is your Rosé. If you are STILL hesitant to try pink wine (I’m looking at my “manly” friends), this is one to start with. It’s totally pink and fruity, but man up. Hell, drink it from a giant ceramic stein, your leather flask, or a hollowed out animal horn if you must- I won’t tell!   

Yeah, I know I keep saying Rosé embodies smells and tastes of strawberry, spice and everything nice. But if I could reach out of your screen and give you a glass of this right now, I would. (Don’t you sometimes wish you lived in the classic video for Aha’s “Take on Me”? No?!? Oh, right, me either.) This wine is dry, balanced with a little citrus and a little herb and goes with _everything_. I’ve had it several times now and I can’t find one thing this wine clashes with.

This is such a pleasing, Summery, drink-on-your-patio-until-you-get-perma-grin kinda wine, I can’t stand it. I even ran back to Solo Vino to buy more because it’s made in such a small batch. Folks, there are only a couple cases left and then, bye-bye 2011 Hendry Rosé. I guess that means every Rosé truly has it’s…  Well, you know.