CURRENTLY SERVING:

Guigal Cotes Du Rhone Rosé

“Friends Don’t Let Friends Drink White Zinfandel” and “ABC (Anything But Chardonnay)” are two of the malicious chants uttered by many a nouveau oenophile. While there is a certain truth to these statements, I believe in attracting more flies with honey. Turning people onto good wine should not be about what not to drink, but what to drink. The hard part is finding that bridge that will let people into the world of more challenging wine but not alienate them or scare them off. I like to call them “gateway wines.” This must not only be in relevance to taste, but in affordability and availability as well. One
of those is Guigal’s Cotes Du Rhone Rosé.

Quite complex and subtle, this wine is bright-eyed but educated. It reminds me of the girl in the movies that becomes hot when you take the glasses off of her nose. It’s always been there, but we didn’t realize her attraction potential and just needed someone to pay attention. Unlike on film though, this wine doesn’t forget its roots and wows us with what we’ve known all along. She’s smart. So take the glasses off, doll. We’re glad you’re here.

This wine is a mix of half Grenache and 40% Cinsault, 5% Mouvedre and Syrah. The nose is definitely floral with rose notes, pomegranate and red fruit. I do miss the lavender aromas you usually get from Grenache-heavy wines, but hey, I ain’t gonna complain too loudly for something so minimal in the grand scheme of the bottle. Overall, the bouquet is quite subtle. You gotta dig around to pull anything out of here. Of course Rosé should be chilled, but let it sit out and sweat a little bit to pull the fruit up front.

The attack doesn’t need any help, though. It is subtle as well, but not avoiding eye contact as much. Definitely fruity, but not sweet. Very ripe cherry flavors here, almost under-ripe. There’s a great
string of acid that allows it to be a solid food pairing partner. As with most well made French wines, they are balanced to be on the table at any meal.

The most impressive part of this wine though, is its body. So light and structured perfectly even with Grenache being the dominant grape here (which can get heavy and herby), showing the true talents of the winemaker in a tough vintage.

Here’s a little science to drop on your dinner guests and debunk a common wine myth. Rosé is not, as some folks think, a red and white mixed. Red wine gets its color from the skins of the grapes sitting with the wine juice (all grape juice is white when it is squeezed from the grapes) while it ferments in the tank. Rosé is created by letting the skins hang out with the juice for a few days, then bleeding off
the skins and the wine finishes fermenting without them. This process gives it the pinkish hue and the tannic structure from the skin that you see in this bottle.

This bottle is perfect for summertime and getting your friends on the right track to great wine. Don’t tell them to stop buying the crap they like. Wine can be intimidating and a tough road. Bring this to a dinner and you’ll be sure to turn people onto real French wine. You can be their wine savior and take them through the gateway yourself.

You’ll find this bottle in the French Section in Premium PLCB stores and the Import section in standard PLCB stores. It’s VERY available. The SKU number is 004884 and it’s priced at $13.99. A hell of a deal.
So take the hot bookworm out to dinner. You won’t be disappointed.

Collin Flatt is a former Beer Pong champ turned oenophile. Collin Flatt spends his tax refunds on wine. Collin Flatt has his Bachelor’s Degree in drinking and is getting his Master’s Degree in winemaking. Collin Flatt is working on an Arctice Splash Cuvee. Collin Flatt writes about wine for Phoodie.info.

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