Pink, Rosé, Rosado

Bex! and I enjoy wine.  A lot.  It is our preferred adult beverage.  Yeah, we are still looking for decent wines in Central America, ones that aren't imported from Chile and Argentina.  We miss our many favorites from back home.  Erath, Torii Mor, Winter's Hill, Troon.  We prefer reds, have a few whites we'll drink and then there is the category that the wife loves - rosés.  Any chance she has to try a new one, she'll take it.  Although they're not my typical choice, I'll usually taste them and there are some that I actually enjoy.  Don't hate me, Cuddlebuns. 

To say that she 'likes' these wines is an understatement.

So, yes - Bex! loves pink wine.  

In fact, let's just make this clear as crystal and as specific as possible:  Bex! loves rosé wines.  

Blush wines belong in one category and that category is 'down the drain'.  This includes those who make them.  Bex! is not on speaking terms with White Zinfandel.  Blush wines are like Lindsay Lohan - sweet, cheap, and trashy.  Okay, LiLo's maybe not sweet like she was back in Disney's 'The Parent Trap' - but two out of three ain't bad.

Real rosés are works of art, as interesting and varied as reds and whites.  They have been made for centuries.  They are complex, balanced, and great with food.  Here's an article where you can learn more: A Rosé is a Rosé is a Rosé, Not a Blush.  
[Note: I suggest reading this prior to talking rosés with Bex!, to avoid a smack of the down variety being placed on the upside portion of your head.]

We've done a fair amount of wine tasting over the years.  It was difficult choosing a photo to put in this blog because I have so damn many!  But I found this gem from a private tasting at Torii Mor:

Let's see..  left to right we have:  Cuddlebuns and Lambchop, a photobombing couple I don't know, me and the wifey, Tanya and Dan, and Sue and Bill.  All dear friends of ours - except the photobombers, that is.

Not wanting to leave out any of our regular wino friends, here is another shot from the greatest wine event EVER, the Beaujolais Nouveau release party in Portland:

Here we have (l-r) Rich and Kari, Greg, Bill and Sue, Renee (Greg's better half) and us.  The only two I don't have a picture with is my brother Jim and his wife Gretta.  I'll have to fix that next time!

The first case of wine Bex! ever bought was a case of rosé.  Winter's Hill Dry Rosé to be exact.  We had just started dating and went tasting with Darrin (aka Cuddlebuns) and Dan and Winter's Hill was one of our stops.  They make some great pinot noirs and are an unpretentious, growing winery in the Willamette Valley.  Check out their webpage here and go visit them in person for tasting and purchasing.

So, since we're hanging out here is Costa Rica, and since the national beer leaves something to be desired (it's no Toña!), Bex! is taking the opportunity to work her way through the rosé selection at the grocery store.  Given our location and situation, she's limiting her selection to Chilean and Argentinean wines with a price point under about 5,000 colones ($10).  We've got three stores in the closeby area (AutoMercado, MasXMenos, Walmart), so she hopes to be able to find enough options to carry her through our stay.  If she runs out, there is always the Nica Libré.

Bex! will be writing the rest of this post, which will be put up for your enjoyment when she's damn good and ready.  Or when we get ready to leave Costa Rica.

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Belatedly, I thought it would be fun to document this mini journey (within the big journey).  I didn't know it was a journey at first, so we've missed the first bottle.

Wine #2

Trapiche 2012 Rosé
Opened Jan 2
Rosé of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon
From Argentina (Mendoza)

This wine pairs well with a rustic wooden table and stone wall.

Better than #1, but has not stood up well to being open in the fridge for two days.  Still, it's reasonably balanced if a bit tart and acidic.  Pairs well with salty snacks like chips.

This wine must be a figment of my imagination since it shows nowhere on either their Argentinean nor their US websites.

Trapiche Wines US website
Trapiche Argentina website


Wine #3

Undurruaga 2012 Rosé
Opened Jan 6
Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon
From Chile

This wine pairs well with the refinement of a stone planter.

This wine disappeared quickly so it must have been good.  Again, reasonably balanced but nothing to knock my sox off.  Pairs well with preparing dinner.

This wine must be real, although it takes about a zillion clicks to find it on the website.  These guys must be huge since they appear to make one or more of everything under nine labels:

Carménére (5), Cabernet Sauvignon (5), Sauvignon Blanc (4), Red Blends (4), Chardonnay (3), Sparkling Brut (3), Merlot (2), Rosé (2), Pinot Noir (2), Sparkling Rosé, Gewürztraminer, Sparkling Demi-Sec, Sparkling Sec, Late Harvest Something, Syrah, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs



Wine #4

Viu Manent 2012 Rosé
Opened Jan 10
Rosé of Malbec
From Chile (Valle de Colchagua)

This startlingly tart wine pairs well with a vibrant, colorful background.
(Hand modeling courtesy of David G Volke.)

Let's start with the obvious - this wine is tart.  From the tasting notes on the back of the bottle it is supposed to have sabores de cereza y arándano - cherry and cranberry.  Perhaps, like cranberry sauce, this would be a good foil to Thanksgiving dinner.  I tried it out with chicken, potatoes, and green beans with good results.

This winery is emphasizing its tourism aspect, so let's put it our the list for when the gang goes wine tasting in Chile.

Viu Manent website



Wine #5 (& #1)

Trivento Tribu 2012 Rosé
Opened Jan 14 (& Dec 31)
Rosé of Malbec
From Argentina (Mendoza)

This beautiful colored wine pairs well with modern art.

This is my very favorite rosé - thus far, down here, that meets my aforementioned criteria.  It's a touch sweeter than many of the others making it better for drinking alone.  And it has the best color (more pink, less orange).

Discover the rest of the members of the 'tribu' on the winery webpage.

Bodega Trivento Argentine website

That's a wrap.