The Civilian Series: Saturday

Ah, August. This is when summer really starts to set in and half the neighborhood seems to head off to the beach. Which means business slows down a bit and I can also head off to the beach. Which is where I am now, down in Virginia, at the beach, trying to convince a roomful of kids and cousins that going to sleep would be an excellent way to end the day. 

Along with a minivan full of stuff, I managed to bring along a case of wine. Lots of bubbles, some cider, a couple end-of-stock snags, a coveted bottle of Ledru Coteaux Champenois…nothing too too geeky (except maybe for the bottle of Montbourgeau l’Etoile.) At least I don’t consider most of my selections too geeky… but then most of my wine drinking tends to happen in the company of wine geeks. So this vacation, I thought it would be fun to have my non-wine geek family give their thoughts on my selections.  I'll let the civilians do the talking - at least most of it.

So here we go:

The Wine: Domnaine La Grange Tiphaine Rosa, Rose, Rosam 2011

My Thoughts: I love this wine. It reminds me of a juicy bite of watermelon with a bit of the rind included, giving it a refreshing tanginess. Sort of like a watermelon-lime rickey, if such a thing exists. It’s made from grolleau, a very old grape variety still kicking around the Loire Valley. You don’t see much of it – unless you frequent certain NYC wine stores where it’s usually in good supply. This one is a sparkling grolleau – a petnat, which you’ll just need to google if you want more info… because like I said above… I’m on vacation!

Civilian Commentary:  

Mom: Fruit, cherries or something, it’s good for a nice summer evening at the beach watching the sun set. (Or in this case, a nice summer evening at the beach spent pacing around looking for a sheet of paper to put up over the bedroom windows so the sun won’t come in and wake up five kids before 6AM, which is really not what you want on your vacation.)

Cousin #3: I’m trying to figure it out but just can’t get it. There’s a funky finish.

C3F: Flowers

SIL: Apples. (Which kind?) Green ones. Granny Smith, my favorite.

Kid #2: Too sour (Don’t worry, he only got a drop. But this commentary is surprising given that this is the kid that likes to suck on lemons.)

Dad: I like it. (But he likes everything.)

The Consensus: Roughly a 50/50 split. Some really liked it, some not so much. I tend to notice the juicy-watermelon quality of the wine, and the foamy sparkle, so I was surprised that it was the tangy, zippy, green-appley acidity that stood out for most everyone else. When I sell this wine at the store, I’m usually worried that customers are going to think it's “too sweet” even though there’s only the tiniest bit of sweetness to it. Clearly that’s not the case. It's the green apple acid bits, that refreshing tang, that I should be highlighting as a make-or-break feature of the wine.

Price: $21.99