With the weather confusing us all and keeping us on our toes these days, we thought we'd bring you three wines - one for each 'season' we are currently experiencing as we patiently await the coming of spring. A light red from Sicily to sip in the sunshine, a lovely Beaujolais for a chilly gray day, and a warming red from the South of France to remind you of the sun when the rain won't end.
A wine to sip alfresco in the sun:
This is an energetic, fun, lively wine that is made to be sipped in the sunshine along with a nibble of pecorino cheese, a light pasta, or grilled vegetable salad. Made from the Frappato grape, and hailing from the heart of Sicily where our friends of the COS estate produce complex, character-driven wines that continue to impress us. This bottle is full of stewed strawberries, herbs, cinnamon bark, and a dash of white pepper. We all agreed it's a wine you sip all day, from lunch through supper. For the best experience, serve slightly chilled, especially outside on a sunny afternoon.
A light-bodied red to take the chill off a cloudy day:
Dominique Piron is the fourteenth generation in his family to make wine in Beaujolais, so you could say it is in his blood. Every year he turns out incredible, affordable Beaujolais that we cannot wait to try. This is his latest vintage from Brouilly, one of Beaujolais' appellations known for more robust, full-bodied expressions of Gamay. Made from old vines -- most of them at least 50 years old -- and the grapes are selected by hand. Short fermentation preserves the quality of fruit. This bottle is full of red berries, with lovely earthy undertones, like walking through the forest after a rain. Sip this with a fresh baguette slathered in Camembert, or, on a cooler evening, a slow roast leg of lamb.
A wine to remind you of summer during a rain storm:
This is just a fantastic value wine. A blend of Mourvèdre and Merlot from the Languedoc region of southern France, you can just taste the mediterranean sun in the glass. With notes of black olives, cassis, and summer fig, the fruit on this wine is ripe, yet fresh, with a round and long finish. The vineyard is owned by Geraldine Combes, whose family has managed the land since 1525. It is a truly small production, artisanal winery, with every vine tended by hand, and the wine made in a garage beneath their home. The vinification is done in traditional method, unfiltered to capture every bit of the intense fruit and garrigue (wild herbs) of the terroir. This is a warming red that will remind you of summer during the storm. Try with a burger or roast duck breast.