Back when I was a wine “novice,” I would drink the dreaded White Zinfandel – a sweet blush wine, primarily from Lodi, California (where my youngest son Mitchell was born).  White Zin is the blush (or rose’) wine preferred mostly by wine novices, red wine haters, and my good friend Lorna in St. Charles, MO.  However, I have found that substituting a good dry blush wine can be a great way to convert a White Zin drinker eventually into a red wine drinker.  When I have snuck a good dry rose’ to an unsuspecting White Zin lover, their typical response is “Yes – that’s really fruity and sweet!”  I then tell them that they are half right. It’s definitely fruity, but it is not sweet – it is a dry wine.  The fruitiness can make your brain think “sweet,” because that’s what we think about fruits.  Once they get used to a good dry blush wine, you can start having them try some reds, such as a light Pinot Noir or Merlot.  Another reason someone may not like red wines is because they have only tried either too intense of reds, or low quality reds.

Tonight’s delightful wine – 2013 Caves d’Esclans “Whispering Angels” dry rose’ from Cote du Provence, France. This is one of my favorite areas of the world – along the southern coast of France, from west of Marseille to Monaco, and north into the French Alps.  I will write a few times about this area in future posts, but I have taken three wine tasting tours in this area – all with a fantastic tour company, Provence Wine Tours (www.provincewinetours.com) with my good friend and the owner of the company, Gaetane Thurot.

https://www.facebook.com/Provence-Wine-Tours-127638462050/

We had this wine on our Alaska cruise on Lobster Night, and we couldn’t have had a more perfect wine!  One of the most drinkable wines you will find, this is a wonderfully light bouquet of fresh strawberry and raspberry, with a hint of jasmine and lemon.  This wine was fantastic with trout, marinated with ginger, green onions, and Kikkoman Teriyaki sauce.  But it would certainly be acceptable with most seafood, especially salmon, crab, lobster, and white fish.  Also great with white cheeses and a number of fruits.  This wine is a MUST for every cellar, and runs about $16-19.

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Lastly… grab a glass of wine, and ENJOY!!!