This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on July 17, 2006 2:59 AM.
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Fifteen or 20 years ago, people in the know wouldn't touch a rose' wine. I remember a saying that ran in a certain circle when describing the evening's vino offerings. Your choices were "red, white, or the pink stuff," and that last word wasn't "stuff" but something much more vulgar. In any event, the contempt for what was then caled "blush" wines was clear.
At that time, at least as I recall, the pink "stuff" was pretty awful. The makers of large-batch wine used to pump out something caled white zinfandel, and it wasn't so hot. If you were stuck with a rose', your best bet might have been to opt for a Portuguese version put out by an outfit called Mateus. No vintage, not even the grape was identified, just "Mateus." I slugged down a fair amount of it one year as an underage drinker down at the Jersey Shore, when even I was smart enough to stay away from Ripple, Bali Hai, Boone's Farm Apple, and the like. Once I could legally consume any beverage of my choosing, however, there was no good reason to call for the pink stuff. Throughout the '80s, when everyone drank either chardonnay or cabernet, I followed suit.
How times have changed. Yesterday we threw a cookout for 10 adults, and we had wine of every color (and other drinks) at our guests' disposal. And what flew off the table? The rose's. They were all imports, and they were all good. A few people also had the red Rioja with their burger plate, but as the hot afternoon became a warm evening the pink stuff was a big hit.
It's been like that at our place the last few summers. Some excellent rose's have graced our dinners. Yesterday it was Marques de Caceres's 2005 Rioja rosado; L'Hortus Rose' de Saignee 2005; and a new one for us, Chateau Mourgues du Gres Fleur d'Eglantine 2005. (That last one got the Zidane conversation rolling.) There are also a number of locally produced pink wines showing up, being made with such grapes as Oregon pinot noir, and we'll have to get out of our newfound rut and try one of these next time.
Wonderful stuff. Great company. Summer is good.
So what's the next taboo? How about box wine? The place where I shop for wine has quite a selection of it out on display. All kinds of wine, with names and labels that would intrigue me enough to make a purchase if the product were in bottles. But in a box? I just keep thinking of being cornered and tongue-kissed by Bob Packwood. (Photo from AliThinks.)
Comments (1)
Reminds me of the old joke Redd Fox (RIP) used to tell - "When asked at a dinner where I got the rose' wine? I told them that I mixed some of that 'red stuff' with some of that 'white stuff'".
For all the supposed wine snobbery that abounds, I don't think wine has ever been this accessible... there are some really good screw cap/rubber cork/box wines. You can see in the marketing too... the labels, graphics, messages and names have been soccer mom-ified... "Yellow Tail", "Red Bike", "Blue Moon"...
Still, you gotta tread lightly with boxes and jugs evidently. I poured a glass of friggin' Almeden at a gathering two months ago and I still can't get that antifreeze taste out of my mouth...
"Sometimes I really miss Mateus"
Didn't it come in a cute little bottle? I only buy wine based on the shape of the bottle, or the graphics on the label.
Almaden? Seriously? Wow. You must have been hard up! LOL
Box and screw-top wines are now quite acceptable and many higher-end vintners are going to the screw-top because, despite the 80's bad image, it preserves the wine better apparently, and without stripping all that cork. And no little chunks of cork in your first pour, either.
My mom's still an Almaden with ice drinker. I used to bring her fine Oregon vintages when I'd go home (SC), and she'd plunk a couple fo ice cubes in the *gasp* pinot noir, and put the bottle back in the fridge.
Needless to say, I've started bringing Moonstruck chocolates or other Oregon delectables that she doesn't defile.
I suspect Mateus was that first step up from the really cheap stuff for many of us. And in those years of excess it never seemed to promote the horrid hangovers that seemed integral to the Annie Green Springs types and Gallo stables. Thankfully Mateus was available at some of the PXs in Vietnam and it was a wonderful alternative to such "notable" beers as Pearl, Schlitz and 33. Even slightly warm it was a good thing.
Posted by: Ronald M at July 17, 2006 12:34 PM
Oregon roses are some of the best. It seems like a lot of the local producers are on the forefront of making actual, drinkable pink drinks.
The last time I rode MAX, there was an older man sitting next to me. He was drinking wine out of a box, had an strange "cat pee" odor, and was talking to himself.
Boxed wine: Reason #128 why people refuse to ride public transit.
Remember when you used to go to Happy Hour and asked for a "Chablis" or "Burgundy"?
White Zinfandel remains this country's most popular varietal.
But, yes...there are awesome pinks, mostly from the Languedoc and the Loire. And, yes, Oregon is making some great stuff out of Pinot.
Out of the box? I recommend Burl in the box. Earl Burl makes great Cotes de Rhones et al...and you get 5 liters of very nice "vin de table" for thirty plus bucks at Vino in Sellwood. It's nice to have a glass without opening a new bottle.
Mateus, by the way, is still around. It's in a new bottle, though...but twenty plus years ago it was on the wine list at the Canlis --in Portland-- back when I was the wine steward (though not by my choice). My intro to wine was Blue Nun. Can you say Liebfraumilch?
I have a thing for Spanish rose. And I also drink wine out of the box - when you're the only one in the house who will (can) drink the stuff, it's far more economical that way, since a box of wine will stay good for 30+ days.
Freddy's has a pretty good selection - avoid the almadens and franzia's and go for the Black Box, Hardy's or other more upscale packaging. You can find some pretty drinkable pinot grigios (I'm not one for chardonnay), along with a zinfandel or two (no, not the pink stuff) for the cooler months.
Posted by: Betsy at July 17, 2006 08:30 PM [Posted as indicated; restored later.]
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
At that time, at least as I recall, the pink "stuff" was pretty awful. The makers of large-batch wine used to pump out something caled white zinfandel, and it wasn't so hot. If you were stuck with a rose', your best bet might have been to opt for a Portuguese version put out by an outfit called Mateus. No vintage, not even the grape was identified, just "Mateus." I slugged down a fair amount of it one year as an underage drinker down at the Jersey Shore, when even I was smart enough to stay away from Ripple, Bali Hai, Boone's Farm Apple, and the like. Once I could legally consume any beverage of my choosing, however, there was no good reason to call for the pink stuff. Throughout the '80s, when everyone drank either chardonnay or cabernet, I followed suit.
Comments (1)
Reminds me of the old joke Redd Fox (RIP) used to tell - "When asked at a dinner where I got the rose' wine? I told them that I mixed some of that 'red stuff' with some of that 'white stuff'".
Posted by: mmmarvel at July 17, 2006 06:05 AMBox wine in a plastic cup is my favorite summer drink-a classic. If I ever get upwardly mobile here, maybe I'll start a trend.
Posted by: P&S at July 17, 2006 06:57 AMSometimes I really miss Mateus -- it was a fun wine and I can't find it anymore.
Just...don't tell my wine snob friends, K?
Posted by: Shelley at July 17, 2006 07:54 AMFor all the supposed wine snobbery that abounds, I don't think wine has ever been this accessible... there are some really good screw cap/rubber cork/box wines. You can see in the marketing too... the labels, graphics, messages and names have been soccer mom-ified... "Yellow Tail", "Red Bike", "Blue Moon"...
Still, you gotta tread lightly with boxes and jugs evidently. I poured a glass of friggin' Almeden at a gathering two months ago and I still can't get that antifreeze taste out of my mouth...
Posted by: TKrueg at July 17, 2006 10:19 AM"Sometimes I really miss Mateus"
Posted by: tom at July 17, 2006 10:37 AMDidn't it come in a cute little bottle? I only buy wine based on the shape of the bottle, or the graphics on the label.
The Marques de Caceres comes in a screw-top bottle.
Posted by: Jack Bog at July 17, 2006 11:07 AMAlmaden? Seriously? Wow. You must have been hard up! LOL
Box and screw-top wines are now quite acceptable and many higher-end vintners are going to the screw-top because, despite the 80's bad image, it preserves the wine better apparently, and without stripping all that cork. And no little chunks of cork in your first pour, either.
My mom's still an Almaden with ice drinker. I used to bring her fine Oregon vintages when I'd go home (SC), and she'd plunk a couple fo ice cubes in the *gasp* pinot noir, and put the bottle back in the fridge.
Needless to say, I've started bringing Moonstruck chocolates or other Oregon delectables that she doesn't defile.
Posted by: Don Smith at July 17, 2006 11:15 AM'Hard up' is right... my choices were Pepsi, Miller Lite and Almaden.
Posted by: TKrueg at July 17, 2006 11:31 AMI suspect Mateus was that first step up from the really cheap stuff for many of us. And in those years of excess it never seemed to promote the horrid hangovers that seemed integral to the Annie Green Springs types and Gallo stables. Thankfully Mateus was available at some of the PXs in Vietnam and it was a wonderful alternative to such "notable" beers as Pearl, Schlitz and 33. Even slightly warm it was a good thing. Posted by: Ronald M at July 17, 2006 12:34 PM
Oregon roses are some of the best. It seems like a lot of the local producers are on the forefront of making actual, drinkable pink drinks.
Posted by: Luke at July 17, 2006 12:44 PM
I admit - Rose's are not bad at all. My pref is for the ones from Provence/Languedoc since they have more body.
Posted by: Steve at July 17, 2006 02:51 PM
I've heard a couple of Californians refer to our Pinots as 'glorified pinks'. Huh? They can take their 'f-ing Merlot' and...
Posted by: TKrueg at July 17, 2006 04:38 PM
The last time I rode MAX, there was an older man sitting next to me. He was drinking wine out of a box, had an strange "cat pee" odor, and was talking to himself.
Boxed wine: Reason #128 why people refuse to ride public transit.
Posted by: Anthony at July 17, 2006 04:38 PMWe're developing our palates...
Remember when you used to go to Happy Hour and asked for a "Chablis" or "Burgundy"?
White Zinfandel remains this country's most popular varietal.
But, yes...there are awesome pinks, mostly from the Languedoc and the Loire. And, yes, Oregon is making some great stuff out of Pinot.
Out of the box? I recommend Burl in the box. Earl Burl makes great Cotes de Rhones et al...and you get 5 liters of very nice "vin de table" for thirty plus bucks at Vino in Sellwood. It's nice to have a glass without opening a new bottle.
Mateus, by the way, is still around. It's in a new bottle, though...but twenty plus years ago it was on the wine list at the Canlis --in Portland-- back when I was the wine steward (though not by my choice). My intro to wine was Blue Nun. Can you say Liebfraumilch?
Posted by: Frank Dufay at July 17, 2006 08:21 PMI have a thing for Spanish rose. And I also drink wine out of the box - when you're the only one in the house who will (can) drink the stuff, it's far more economical that way, since a box of wine will stay good for 30+ days.
Freddy's has a pretty good selection - avoid the almadens and franzia's and go for the Black Box, Hardy's or other more upscale packaging. You can find some pretty drinkable pinot grigios (I'm not one for chardonnay), along with a zinfandel or two (no, not the pink stuff) for the cooler months.
Posted by: Betsy at July 17, 2006 08:30 PM
[Posted as indicated; restored later.]
Posted by Blog restoration | July 22, 2007 2:34 AM