It was a Summer Rose Tasting...but my favorite was the Stringtown Pinot Noir

It's (finally) summer! I can think of nothing better to do on a warm June Thursday night than to attend "Pretty in Pink" a local Rose wine tasting hosted by Wine Barrel Maplewood supporting Springfield Avenue beautification efforts in my home community. 

With circa 80's music playing in the background (and yes, they did play Pretty in Pink) I made my way to most of the thirteen tasting tables, each with a wine distributor doing the chatting and a local resident (some of them my own neighbors and friends) doing the pouring. It made me smile that Maplewood's mayor Vic DeLuca himself was welcoming guests and checking IDs, of course.

I tasted a great deal of "okay-iash" wines - refreshing, perhaps in the "this will do" but not memorable category.  That said, there were a few highlights and discoveries. One of my perennial summer easy drinking weeknight Rose favorites, the Aix 2017 was being served; a lovely Provence rose - salmon pink color with well balanced red fruit and a long finish which I highly recommend (60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 20% Cinsualt). You can find this rose in most area wine shops. The cost is in the $16-$20 range depending on where you purchase it. (The bottle I am holding will be a tad pricier, it's a magnum.)

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I also enjoyed a 2016 Von Buhl Bone Dry Rose from the Pfalz region of Germany (100% Pinot Noir).  This wine had a delicate floral and spice nose but tart cranberry and raspberry on the palate which was a surprise, making it both elegant and also fun and refreshing... a bit of a party in your mouth and, for summer, who can resist this label? ​Also in the $17 range.

But my favorite taste of the evening was not a rose at all!  It was a Pinot Noir from Willamette valley Oregon. Keep in mind, it is summer... and typically Pinot Noir would not be an immediate go-to for me for a warm summer evening.  However, this lovely, drinkable Pinot fits the bill. Thank you to John Zaffarese with Massanois for introducing me to the Stringtown Pinot Noir 2016.

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Stringtown is ruby colored with aroma of cherries and herbs, with cherries and strawberries on the palette;  fruit forward but with some earthy elements underneath the fruit -- mushroom and tobacco. That said it is not heavy;   light+ to medium body, soft tannins, and a medium finish.  You could even get away with this just lightly chilled (sacrilege!) and it would be yummy with a freshly made BLTs or cantaloupe with prosciutto. Hungry anyone?  Also a great value for $17.

PS: I happen to love Oregon Pinots.  These Pinot Noirs have a tendency to be more delicate than California Pinots and I enjoy the balance of bright aromatic red fruit that comes through on the nose and in the flavor of the wine, but also the subtle woodsy notes of mushroom, forest, bacon and tobacco. Oregon Pinots are food friendly and delicious, I recommend seeking them out.

I am heading to a winery down in the Robbinsville NJ area today -- stay posted for another entry soon! 

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