Rosé

You really enjoyed our recent round up of red wines to look for in your warehouse right now, so we thought we’d follow that up with a quick list of whites, most of which have been spotted at Costco stores around the Atlanta area, but we hope you’re able to find a few near you …

Rosé season is upon us. If you didn’t serve a bottle with your Easter Sunday Supper, perhaps you will on Mother’s Day. For me, rosé “season” is year-round, and I always have at least one bottle chilling in my ‘fridge. It’s the perfect wine to serve with appetizers and salads, or while you wait for …

Chinon bottles are always a pleasant change of pace.  These wines are predominantly made with Cabernet Franc, although a small percentage can be allotted to Cabernet Sauvignon.  There’s usually not a lot of verbiage on the bottle to identify the wines, which likely deters many people from venturing forth, and it’s unfortunate because Chinon wines are quite lovely, …

I’ve been wanting to try this wine for a while. A friend of mine always recommends it and Costco carries it for a great price when compared to other retailers. Also, Napa Valley had great growing seasons in 2013 & 2014, and both vintages of this wine are available currently. The ’13s are a little …

I love a good red Bordeaux. These wines tend to really express the area in which the grapes are grown- they have a strong essence of “terrior,” if you will. The gravel and stone top soil in Pessac-Leognan is well-suited for Cabernet Sauvignon, and so red wines from here are predominantly Cabernet-based and with lots …

We cannot technically call this wine “champagne.” Since it’s from Jura, France, we are not allowed to confuse this wine with its cousin in Champagne. That’s the rule. This being said, if I were to bring this to a New Year’s Eve party, I would certainly announce to everyone in the room that I’ve brought …

This was a little bit of an impulse purchase, as I was leaving the wine aisle, and I just thought this looked like a fun summer treat.  So we cracked it outside tonight on a hot night, leaving the bottle in a jug of cold water, and it was just what I was hoping for …

Regardless of how you’re spending this Memorial Day weekend, whether you’re boating, camping, picnicking, hiking, grilling or just sitting around in the backyard, if you’re a reader of this site then a glass of wine is also likely somewhere in those plans. So I wanted to list a few good, summery, warm weather wines that …

I finally found it at my Costco – the Kirkland Rioja that so many readers have been raving about.  I’m a little late to the ball game on this one, and several readers have posted tasting notes on this wine in the comments sections of our other reviews.  And I’m thrilled to finally be able …

This is a fun find at Costco for $7.99.  It’s a nice summer bubbly, more on the dry end, perfect for before or after a meal. And it’s a much more affordable option compared to pricey Champagne, which I still love, just can’t afford all the time.  It’s nice to substitute a bottle like this or …

I’m a big fan of St Supéry wines so it was great to see a Rosé from them pop up at my Costco priced at $12.99.  If you’ve ever driven through Napa, you’ve likely seen their property on Highway 29 in Rutherford.  It’s a beautiful plot of land nestled in between a bunch of top …

I’ve been meaning to get around to trying this Costco Rose.  It’s been a reader favorite, a frequently mentioned wine across the social networks and was priced at $18.99 at my Costco, which I think is an ok price (I’ve seen it elsewhere closer to $15).  We decided to pair this on a summer day with …

By Redneck Wine Guy I’ll let you in on a little secret – wine is not my career.  Rather, I’m a sales guy who travels the globe selling my wares hoping that the next commission check will be enough to buy a case-or-two of the good stuff to collect, store, and share with family and friends.    Today was an incredibly long day.  I am in Florida, and in one day traveled over 350 miles.  Upon arriving back to my hotel, the last thing I felt like doing was getting myself put together to end up sitting alone at a restaurant bar to eat most likely subpar food while drinking well-level booze and mindlessly surfing on my iPhone.  The brilliant idea of grabbing some snack foods and a bottle of wine to sit comfortably in my room was much more appealing.  Tonight I was looking for easy drinking – not cheap, just easy.  I was drawn to the Oyster Bay Pinot Noir for several reasons – it was reasonably priced at $12, it had a screw top so I did not have to buy a wine opener/borrow a wine opener from the hotel, and there are some “hella good” (that is a Southern colloquial phrase shorting the expression “Hell of a Good”) wines coming out of New Zealand.  It was worth a shot.

In color, this wine is light….like, a tad bit darker than a Rosé.  The legs are quick – if it was a woman, she would run a lot faster than a courting man could chase her.  The nose is very floral, and hints of ripe berries, vanilla, and a tad bit of spice.  This wine drinks young, and only opens slightly over time.  Upon first taste, this wine needs a bit of time to hang out.  This wine is 13.5% alcohol and rather unfortunately I think the taste of alcohol is too pronounced and slightly acidic.  The resounding profile I kept going back to time-and-time again was strawberry.  Abita Brewing Company out of Abita Springs, Louisiana makes a phenomenal seasonal lager called “Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager.”   There are a lot of parallels in my opinion to this wine and that beer.  The finish is moderate – you will not forget it after first sip, but it will not linger long into the night.  Absolutely a good buy at the price point.

Redneck Wine Guy Rating: 88 Points

Winery: Oyster Bay Vineyards

Varietal(s): 100% Pinot Noir

Vintage: 2011

Region: Marlborough, New Zealand