Contrary to the weather we’ve been receiving here in the Bay Area the last few days, summer is actually on the way and the official day of summer solstice is June 21st. When the weather heats up and BBQ smoke is in the air I love reaching for a nice dry rosé or rosado as they call it in Spain. Any foodie here in San Francisco knows dry rosé is extremely popular and rightly so as it is very versatile and can match with so many different types of food. It just so happens we are receiving our first shipment of rosé this week just in time to toast the Memorial Day weekend!

The first rosado is from Bodegas Julián Chivite founded in 1647 in the town of Cintruénigo just south of Pamplona where the San Fermín Festival “Running of the Bulls” is held annually, in Spain’s northern DO of Navarra. Chivite is one of the oldest and most respected family wineries in Navarra, if not all of Spain. The Bodega has been passed down from father to son and daughter for over eleven generations! That’s some history; imagine this family was making wine well over a hundred years before the United States was even founded! All together the family has been producing wine for at least 360 years; with that track record it’s no big secret in Spain to know they are one of the top three Bodegas in Navarra which has over 116 producers.

When it comes to Navarra wine Garnacha Rosado is what the region is known for. In fact some of the world’s greatest wines like Spain’s Priorat and France’s famed Châteauneuf-du-Pape (where it is known as Grenache) are predominately Garnacha based wines. In 1984 Garnacha amounted to well over 85% of the total vineyard plantings in Navarra, today it only accounts for around 25%. Much of the decline had more to do with the replanting of the more popular Spanish varietal Tempranillo. Though Garnacha may be on the decline, quality fruit is still out there and the Chivite family in particular owns vast holdings of old dry farmed bush vines that yield some pretty excellent juice. Their 2009 Gran Feudo Garnacha Rosado made with fruit from said vines is one of the best in all of Spain for the price. It’s made with just the free run juice (Lagrima or tears) and no pressing takes place, the wine is decanted from tank to tank using only gravity. The result is a great fruity style rosado that is quite dry and retains a fantastic amount of mouth-watering acidity making it a nice match for the picnic table. Can you say Paella!!! At around $10-$11 retail this will not break the bank! It’s also comes with a screw cap top for easy access!

Across the Spanish border in Portugal’s Vinho Verde region rosé is an especially rare treat as only a handful of producers even make the style. As of 2008 rosé Vinho Verde only accounted for about 5% of total wine production in the region and what little is made is swooped up almost immediately by importers in the UK. This year for the first time we were fortunate enough to import only 112 cases into California from one of our favorite Vinho Verde producers Adega Cooperativa Monção. They are highly regarded as one of the top cooperative producers in the sub-region of Monção which is right on the border with Spain’s Rias Baixas region. Surprisingly they have only been making rosé since 2007, and their third vintage of the 2009 Muralhas de Monção Rosé is so limited it only accounts for only 2-3% of their total production.

As you know Portugal has some very esoteric and hard to pronounce grapes and the Muralhas rosé is no exception. It’s made with a blend of three indigenous red varietals. Alvarelhão (all-va-rel-yum) is not widely grown in the region but it grows particularly well in the hotter Monção sub-region, it is also grown in the Douro Valley under the same name. It produces a must that is naturally rich in sugar which is a rarity in the region, the color being on the lighter ruby side; it is also very balanced with nice acid levels. Pedral (pe-draal) another grape suited for the Monção climate, adds alcohol and fragrance to the blend. Vinhão (Vin-yum) Well known for its quality and it is cultivated throughout the region, in the Douro it is also known as Sousão. It is one of the world’s rare teinturier varietals; teinturier is the French word to dye or stain. What makes these grapes so special is that they have red-flesh producing deep garnet wines. What most people don’t know is that red wines get their color from extended contact with the grapes skins. Vinhão with its natural red tint give’s much of the color to the Muralhas rosé but since you don’t have to soak it on the skins you have very little tannin in the wine. Muralhas is bottled with a little natural CO2 so you get that characteristic light spritz found in most Vinho Verde’s and at only 11.5% alcohol this makes a super refreshing summertime wine that pairs well with lots of spicy cuisine, Indian, Latin, Asian, Creole, etc…

For such a relatively rare style of wine this only retails for about $14-$15. That’s a great deal and is sure to get any wine geek excited. Luis joked and said “If your dating Basque Txakolina Rosado your gonna wanna marry Vinho Verde Rosé!” He’s got a great point as the styles are so very similar. This wine won’t last long as we only received 112 cases for the state! It’s probably at its best poolside on a hot summer day! Drop me a line and we’ll help you find it in your neighborhood.

It’s getting close to summer so drink pink!

by Tommy Ronquillo