F that Wine: Rose'

Episode Transcript and Time Stamps

Episode 14: F that Wine! Rose’ 00:00

Hello! And welcome to the Wine Pair podcast. I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and this is my wife and wine-pairing partner in crime - Carmela. And we are the Wine Pair.

This Episode 00:20 

Ok, In today’s episode, we are back with a F that Wine, or Fuck that Wine episode - which, as we all should know by now, is Carmela’s favorite word! Right, Carmela?  In this series we taste and review wines that we think are overrated to see if we can either validate our suspicion of them or if we can get over it and prove our feelings about these wines are wrong. 

I mean, afterall, there are reasons why the wines in this series are popular - wines like Merlot and Cabernet - it’s because people like them. So, maybe WE are the ones who are wrong, or maybe we just haven’t found the right ones. So, today we are going to test it out, and we are going to taste three wines from a verrrryyy broad category that we don’t really love called Rose’. Now, there are some types of rose’ wine we really like - we generally really like a sparking rose’, but still or non-sparkling rose’s I am not so sure about. What do you think?

And I think it is important to say that we are not trying to judge you and your taste in wine. You may really, really like these wines, and that is FINE! If you love Rose’, that is fantastic! As we have been saying from the get go in our podcast, part of the purpose here is to learn more about wines and to find wines that you like. There are wines we like that you won’t, and vice versa. What matters is that you understand how we think about wine, and then make decisions based off of it. And that may be that you just go in the opposite direction. We may love a wine, and you’ll know you probably won’t like it. And we may hate a wine, and you’ll know you might really like it. And if that happens, we’ll be super duper happy! Beyond the moon happy! I mean, not even Carmela and I like the same wines!

I have said this before, I really don’t like certain reviewers like Robert Parker. He is very famous, and there are a lot of people who love his taste in wine. I am the opposite, and that is a good thing. I know if he likes a wine, it is probably going to have a ton of oak on it, by really fruity, and probably low in acidity and high in tannin. Fine! If you like his taste in wine, that is AWESOME.

In the end, we are really just trying to make wine a little more understandable for you and a little less overwhelming so that when you are in a store or a restaurant and you are trying to figure out what to buy, you can feel a bit more confident. We are not right, we just know what we like. If we can do that, I am going to be really, really happy. 

Broader Topic: Is It OK to Put Ice in Wine? 05:34

Ok, but as we do in every episode, we are going to take a left turn and talk about something that is tangentially related to our topic, or maybe even not at all. And the topic this time is - would you put ice in your wine? And this is a relevant topic because I sometimes see people who put ice in their Rose’!

This can be a really controversial topic - at least among wine dorks. Some people would say that putting ice cubes in wine, like rose’ or white wine, is like heresy. Some people would FREAK OUT about it. Especially people who are professed wine snobs. And then there are others who love dropping some ice cubes in their wine, especially on a hot day. I know, for instance, Carmela, that one of you aunts puts ice in her wine.

Why do people get upset about putting ice in wine? Do you have any thoughts on that, Mellie?

• DILUTION - I think the main reason why people don’t to see it is that it dilutes the wine as the ice melts. If you believe that wine producers really work hard to produce the wine they make, then adding water to that wine changes the way it tastes. And I get that. I do.
• And, although I kind of consider myself a bit of a wine snob or maybe wine purist, there are things about putting ice in wine that I can deal with.
• COLD - First, I think there are people who just prefer their wine really, really cold. I get that, and that’s ok. I think sometimes they do that because the wine they are drinking is probably not very good - and really cold temperatures really tamp down the taste and smell of a wine. So, it may be in part a way to keep it really refreshing, and a decision to dilute the wine on purpose - because it may not be very good.
• Now, there are better ways to keep a wine cold - like keeping it refrigerated or putting the wine bottle in a bucket of ice - but if you are outside on a hot day, it is really hard to keep your wine cold, so I get it. You can even try to make ice cubes out of wine! There are also insulated wine glasses and “corksickles” that are like ice in that they are frozen - little plastic ice cubes - that keep your drink cold. Like an ice pack for you wine. 
• PREFERENCE/DRINKABILITY - Second, kind of on the last point, I think there are people who just like ice in their drinks. Some people love ice in something like a soda - I know I do - and I would say that even if it waters down the drink, some people are ok with that, and some even prefer it. I actually prefer ice in my soda. A really sugary drink like a soda, or a real sweet or sugary wine, may just mellow out and become more palatable if it is on ice. So, I would say there may be just really legit reasons why you want to mellow out a wine. I could see doing it with a really sweet sparkling, for instance. 
• LESS ALCOHOL - Third, Carmela, you brought this up, some people may also want to just not have so much alcohol, and want to be able to keep drinking and enjoying the flavor and hanging out. They may not want to be consuming such a large amount of alcohol, so putting ice in the wine may be purposeful to keep their buzz in check. 
• And, it looks like there are starting to be some wines that are actually meant to be poured over ice. Which is really interesting.

So, I am not against it. Are you surprised by that?  I would not do it, but that’s because I generally only drink wines that I really like, and I tend not to drink wines for “refreshment,” but more to pair with food, etc. But, that is not how some people operate, and that is totally fine. The suggestion I would make is that if you want to put ice in your wine glass, I would choose the biggest ice cubes you can because it will really cool down the wine, but will not dilute it quite as fast. 

Brief overview of the Rose’s we selected for this episode 14:50

Anyway, let’s get to tasting so we can see what we think. Are you ready? 

Now, the problem with Rose is that it is kind of treated like a “thing” in and of itself, but the truth is that Rose’s are very different depending on the grapes that the wine is made from. So, it is not quite fair to say I like or I don’t like Rose, because it probably just matters a lot where it is from and what it is made with. My advice to those of you who like Rose is to really try and figure out what kinds of Rose you like. But, we should be careful because saying you like Rose is like saying you like white wine or red wine. It is really too general - it’s more of a genre than a type. And even we are guilty of doing that. We have said we like sparkling Rose’, but that is probably too general of a statement!

Now, Carmela, do you know what makes a wine a Rose? It does NOT have to do with mixing white and red wines!

It has to do with how long the skins are left in contact with the grape juice. Remember, all grape juice is clear - and it is the skin that gives wine color. So, no contact with skins = white wine, a little = rose’ wine. The technical term for the process is called maceration, but you don’t need to know that. All you need to know is that in a rose’ the wines and the skins are together for a few hours only. That’s it. 

Rose can be made from almost any type of grape and is found in most every wine making region. 

So, we have three different types of rose’s that we are going to try today. All of these are made with different grapes and from three different regions of the world, so this will be really interesting. 

All of these are dry rose’ wines. So, for those of you who think Rose’ wines are all sweet, that is not always true. There are many rose’ wines that are sweet, like a pink moscato, but most rose’ wines are actually dry wines - although I still expect them to have some sweetness to them - they are just not sweet wines. 

I will also note that Rose’ wines are notoriously difficult to pair with food, so as we taste these, we’ll let you know if we have any thoughts about what foods they may go with. The classic pairing for a rose’ - especially a dry rose’ - is fresh tomatoes. So, a caprese might go really well. 

And, after we taste and review these wines, we are going to compare the tastes and smells we think experienced with those of what would be expected from a rose’ - and in this case, with the specific rose’s we are drinking

Wines and Ratings in this Episode  19:38

Wines

Wine: Yes Way Rose

Region: France (Classic Provencal style)

Producer: Yes  Way

Year: 2020

Price: $12.99

Retailer: Fred Meyer

Alcohol: 13%

Grapes: Grenache blend

What we tasted and smelled: Cotton candy, watermelon, watermelon candy, strawberry, pleasant smell, honeydew melon, bitter, Jolly Rancher watermelon candy, citrus, lime and watermelonade, Capri Sun. Appetizer wine, good with spicy food. Serve cold!

Rating: Joe  7 Carmela  7

Wine: Josh Cellars Rose

Region: California

Producer: Josh Cellars

Year: 2020

Price: $8.99 (on sale, usually $15.99)

Retailer: Fred Meyer

Alcohol: 12.5%

Grapes: Barbera (?)

What we tasted and smelled: Ripe watermelon, juicy, overripe peach, stone fruit, apricot, pungent (rotten egg?), strawberry, sweet cherry, very sweet, tomato, carrot, sweet potato, root vegetables, sea water, salt water, saline, salty. Put ice in this wine!

Rating: Joe 4 Carmela 4

Wine: Samuel Robert Winery Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir Rose

Region: Oregon, Willamette Valley

Producer: Samuel Robert Winery

Year: 2020

Price: $12.59

Retailer: Total Wine

Alcohol: 12.5%

Grapes: Pinot Noir

What we tasted and smelled: Cranberry, tart, rubbing alcohol, tart green apple, underripe strawberry, strawberries and cream, watermelon, strawberry Capri Sun, citrus, strawberry lemonade, strawberry lemon daiquiri. Quaffable. Juicy. Delicious, but like a cocktail. 

Rating: Joe 6 Carmela 8

Taste profiles expected in Rose’  37:21

• Grenache rose’ - like the Yes Way Rose’ - Grenache rosés (especially those produced in Provence) are among the driest in the world. 
  • Strawberry, Raspberry, Watermelon Candy, Lemonade, and Cucumber. Grapefruit and floral qualities can come up. Wines have a burst of sweet red fruit flavors and a finish that usually ends with zesty sweet lemon-like acidity.
• Barbera rose’ - like the Josh Cellars - Wild strawberry, cherry, and pomegranate fruit, velvety texture balanced by crisp acidity; highlights of cherry, honeydew, and earth in the midpalate and finish; and a long finish of slightly saline red fruit, minerals, and crisp acidity. White pepper, rose petals.
• Pinot Noir rose’ - like the Samuel Robert - Strawberry, strawberry limeade (fruity and sharp) peach, fresh cut grass, raspberry, melon, and magnolia.
  • Apple, orange zest, lemon, or white cherry, pomegranate

What is the wine we are finishing tonight: Carmela Samuel Robert, Joe Yes Way

Outro and how to find us 39:49

Ok - for those of you who are still listening, we would love to hear from you. Tell us what you like and what you don’t like, tell us about some wines you want us to try, tell us if you want to be a guest on our show. Or, just tell us about a wine you love or you hate and we’ll chat it up. You can visit our website at thewinepairpodcast.com and leave a voice message or send us a note. You can comment or reach out on Instagram at thewinepairpodcast. You can reach out to us at joe@thewinepairpodcast.com and we would LOVE to hear your comments. And we hope you’ll subscribe and follow us and tell all your friends and family and enemies and loved ones and everyone!

Thanks for listening to the Wine Pair podcast, and we will see you next time. And, as we say, life is short, so stop drinking shitty wine