July 11, 2024 - NWR

đŸ· California rosé, seriously considered

July 11, 2024

We at NWR love rosé, especially the kind that reads as real wine. This week, Virginie Boone goes deep on such rosés from her home state of California. First off: how to winnow down the vast rosé offerings of the Golden State?

  • “You’re on safer ground if you stick to California rosĂ© made from Pinot Noir (expensive grapes, and therefore expensive rosĂ©) or RhĂŽne varieties.

  • “Cinsaut blends are hard to find but worth seeking out. The occasional rosĂ© of Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Malbec, or Cabernet Sauvignon might surprise you.”

That said, she concludes, “there are a host of California rosĂ©s that are seriously considered from start to finish: planted to be rosĂ©, picked to be rosĂ©, and made to be rosĂ©.” Check out her story to find out her top reccomendations.

As recently as the 1990s, the image of Chianti Classico was wrapped up in the budget-friendly, generally mediocre-quality wine in straw-covered flasks. The wines sold, but they weren’t exactly the image of high quality. Chianti Classico desperately needed to level up—and, Christy Canterbury writes, it finally has.

  • “The wines have soared in quality, and they now offer a clearer sense of place,” Christy writes.

  • Gran Selezione labels can now include a UGA (UnitĂ  Geografiche Aggiuntive, or Additional Geographical Unit) indicating which of 11 specific sub-zones a wine comes from. “It’s hard to believe it’s been against the law to put the UGAs on the labels until now,” said Manfred Ing, winemaker of Querciabella. “We introduced the Gran Selezione indication 10 years ago. It’s been like having a grand cru [Burgundy] without listing the cru. Querciabella’s Gran Selezione was entirely from Greve [a cooler part of Chianti Classico] in 2017, 2018, and 2019, but you wouldn’t know that just by reading the label.” 

  • Another update arriving with the 2024 Gran Selezione: At least 90% of the wine must be Sangiovese, and the rest is exclusively local varieties such as Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Colorino.

Learn more about the updates and get Christy’s shorthand guide to what to expect from each UGA, along with her picks for producers to seek out.

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HAPPENINGS IN OUR SUBSCRIBERS-ONLY SLACK

Nick Jackson, Master of Wine and author of Beyond Flavor, will be stopping by for an AMA on Tuesday, July 16, at 7PM Eastern/ 4PM Pacific. Submit your questions ahead of time via DM or by replying to this email.  

Recent convos in the NWR Slack:

  • A reader asks for help picking wine to serve at an August wedding.

  • Have NA beers gotten so good that “regular” beer is on notice?

  • If you’re planning to bring a case of wine back from Europe, it might be easiest in Italy.

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If it seems like every day a new bottle of whiskey hits the shelves of your local liquor store, well, it’s because that’s exactly what’s happening, writes our Whiskey Editor Susannah Skiver Barton. “Sifting through the noise to figure out which ones are worth pursuing can be arduous,” she writes. “So I’m doing it for you.” 

Her picks of the recent releases include four bourbons, two ryes, and a sour mash whiskey you’ll want to snap up before they sell out.

ANY QUESTIONS?

We want your questions about the worlds of wine and whiskey! Submit them here and we may answer them in an upcoming article. And yes, you can be anonymous, so ask us anything that’s been on your mind.

WINE STORIES WORTH READING FROM AROUND THE INTERNET

đŸœïž NYC wine bar Parcelle is opening another spot. This one promises to be more of a restaurant, with a kitchen overseen by chefs Kate Telfeyan and Mark Ladner.

🚒 The Lake Fire in Santa Barbara County continues to grow, but for now local winemakers say they expect minimal impact on operations.

🍇 Some California wine growers worry their grapes will go to waste, facing a shortage of orders as harvest approaches.

As always, thanks for reading! See you next week for much more.

Santé!

The NWR Editors

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