With all the facets of wine to appreciate, it can be easy to forget a most basic one: Wine should be enjoyable.
I’ve been reminded of that recently, so I thought I’d share a few wines from California that I enjoy.
>> 2016 Birichino Vin Gris (about $16 a bottle): Vin gris is pink — or rosé — wine, and these are definitely in. Finding really good rosés can be a challenge, so this is one of two I’m mentioning.
Birichino is the handiwork of iconic winemaker John Locke, who has a long, illustrious career of producing delicious, food-friendly wines at terrific prices. This is one of his newest releases. Produced mainly from old-vine grenache and cinsault, this is a tasty, remarkably light, mineral-driven pinkster perfect for the dinner table — it deftly works with a wide range of foods.
>> 2017 Scherrer Dry Rosé (about $24): Compared with the Birichino, this is a much different take on what pink wine can be. Where the Birichino is a style routinely served at cafes and bistros along the Mediterranean basin, the Scherrer has a bit more swagger to its strut. The 2017 is 60 percent syrah (from Russian River) and 40 percent grenache (from Sonoma), aged in old oak and on its lees for six months. The result is surprisingly savory, completely refreshing and elicits a smile with each sip.
Starting with his 2012 vintage, Fred Scherrer has produced some of the finest rosé out of California. I’m a huge fan of this winemaker, essentially a one-man-show, and his terrific wines.
>> 2017 Birichino Malvasia Bianca “Petulant Naturel” (about $25): Regulars at Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar and Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar know that Birichino Malvasia Bianca is our go-to for both styles of cooking. It works real magic.
Imagine my surprise to discover that this winery, with its out-of-the-box approach, had released a 2016 Malvasia Bianca “Petulant Naturel” that’s been a by-the-glass rage at some of San Francisco’s hotspots. (It’s reminiscent of the fizzy Txakoli wine common to the tapas scene in San Sebastian, Spain.)
This was winemaker Locke having a little fun and playing off of petillant- naturel, an ancient French method of producing sparkling wines. The wine has exuberant fruity aromas of lychee, yellow grapefruit and pear leaping out of the glass amid tantalizing, flirtatious bubbles. It really is a joy to drink, especially when served well-chilled.
You’ll be surprised at how wonderfully food-friendly it can be. I suggest, for instance, drinking a well-chilled bottle with Asian foods, especially Chinese and Korean cuisine.
>> 2016 Daou “The Pessimist” (about $22): One of the big California wines of the past decade was a red-wine blend of syrah, petite sirah and zinfandel grapes. With this category’s meteoric growth in popularity also came a steady rise in prices. Here is a viable alternative at a surprisingly reasonable price, considering what’s in the bottle.
Visiting the Daou winery in Paso Robles just a few weeks ago, I was reminded of how this wine really packs a punch — it is deeply flavored, masculine, provocative, savory with mineral undertones and no hard edges. It’s definitely worth checking out.
Chuck Furuya is a master sommelier and a partner in the DK Restaurants group. Follow his blog at chuckfuruya.com.
