Summer Through Rose' Colored Glasses

I'm jaded enough about wine that I am rarely bowled over by anything new, let alone a bottle of rose' from Spain that sells for about eight bucks.

Color me smitten.

I used to enjoy Paul Masson's rose' back in the day. It was ninety-six cents a glass (a dollar with tax) at the late, lamented Wooden Nickel pub in Albany, Georgia.

Ah. Good times.

As my taste in wine changed (I won't say "became more sophisticated"), rose' was pretty much banished in favor of more trendy summer wines like pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. I still indulged once or twice over the last decade, but each time it tasted cheap and had an unpleasant aftertaste.

My rediscovery of rose' and similar "pink" wines began in April of 2003, when some friends came over for my birthday. My best pal came armed with of bottle of 2001 Vin Gris de Cigare from Bonny Doon Vineyards (you can read about the 2004 vintage by clicking on this link: http://www.bonnydoonvineyard.com/wine/view/100 ).

It looked for all the world like a dreaded, sickeningly sweet white zinfandel (rose's girlier cousin) that was barely a step above Bartles and James wine coolers. However, it was hot, I was thirsty, and I had a glass.

Damn, it was good.

Not only was it good, it was a revelation. It wasn't particularly sweet, but it was perfectly smooth and went down like water. I had a new quest in life: try more rose's.

I sampled a number of good ones over the last couple of years, including rose's from Toad Hollow and Goats Do Roam, before settling on a terrific French wine from La Vielle Ferme (info at http://www.lavieilleferme.com/). I was content. Until last month.

It was a Sunday afternoon, and I had just finished off a bottle of La Vielle Ferme that was opened the previous night. Still in a rose' mood, I rummaged about in the basement cooler and grabbed a bottle of cheap Spanish stuff called "Protocolo". I poured a glass, expecting it to be acceptable at best and tolerable at worst.

My, my. I think I did one of those cartoon double-takes. This was easily the best rose' I had ever tasted. And it sold for a whopping $7.99 at the local Whole Foods Market.

Still, one bottle could be a freak accident. I realized it could have been the unique combination of foods and mood on that particular afternoon. So I returned to the store for another bottle. A helpful wine clerk noticed me poking around where the Protocolo had been the previous week. I told her I was looking for a "particular rose'", when she cut me off with "Have you tried the Protocolo from Spain?" Luckily, there was plenty more - it had just been moved. But the wine clerk used the opportunity to wax poetic about rose', and to lament about the sad state of its acceptance in America.

"Paul Masson ruined rose' in the US" she said, "in the same way that Gallo ruined chablis. Selling big cheap jugs of the low-quality stuff has turned off anyone who doesn't buy their wine at the local convenience store. Unfortunately, for most, rose' is associated with cheap, bad-tasting 1.5 liter jugs of Paul Masson.

"I'm often asked for recommendations by customers who are looking to try something new. When I suggest a good rose', they turn their noses up and say 'no thanks' and look at me like I'm crazy. It's tempting to react by saying 'I've had more quality wine in the last year than you'll have in your entire life, and you don't know anything about rose' ,' but I hold my tongue and recommend something else."

What the heck - that means there's more for me. I picked up a few more bottles of the Protocolo. It's still the best rose' I've ever had, and now I have some friends who are buying it three or four bottles at the time, too.

If you like a chilled wine on hot summer evenings, check out the label pictured above, and if you can find it, buy it. You'll thank me. And if you think there's a better tasting rose' out there, I'd love to hear about it.