Barrels & Bottles Wine Blog

I am as guilty (probably like everyone else) of treating Rose wines similar to an embarrassing cousin. Not really a full-bodied red but neither an exciting and vigorous white wine... but occupying some middle no-mans ground that is very easy to shrug past.

Thankfully I was forced to try a bottle of Bellagio Pinot Grigio Rose from Italy last night. A surprise visit by my Aunt and Uncle demanded a bottle of wine but the only thing to hand (that was not sparkling) was the Bellagio Rose. Fearing the worst I flash chilled it for 30 mins, made my apologies before hand and duly served it.

I was expecting insipid strawberry juice but instead we got strong raspberry tones, depth in the middle of the palate and enough alcohol to keep the driver from having a large glass. Everyone enjoyed the wine and I was shocked at the concept of liking it. But I did. This will certainly be on our future list for the cellar.

This got me thinking about wine drinking in general. Most of us tend to stick with the same wine or at least the same grape variety or countries. This is understandable with the sheer range of wines on offer and the cost of buying something that may not be to our liking. This is usually bolstered with the expression "I know what I like"... this should really be "I like what I know". Preconceptions and limitations (knowledge and financial) keep us within a comfort zone. I am a guilty as the next person for misplaced preconceptions... last nights Bellagio Rose brought this home.

For the rest of the year I am ditching my default wine list and setting out on an unchartered voyage to try wines that I have not previously tried. I am no doubt I will discover some howlers along the way but hopefully (and this is the expectation) I will find something truly superb which I can add to my personal drinking list and heartedly recommend to others.

Labels: tasting, wine