A Taster’s Journey

Do you have a favorite wine? My choice would typically be a full bodied red. However, if I was eating a plate of oysters or ceviche, I would select a crisp Sauvignon Blanc.  That being said, I have become quite fond of rose wine on a warm Sunday afternoon.

Rose is pink in color, and should be crisp and dry (not sweet). The standard was set in Tavel, a small town in the southern Rhone region of France. Rose wine is always made from red grapes, typically Grenache or Cinsault. The color is lighter than a red wine because the skins are left in contact with the fermenting mixture for only a short time, perhaps 10 - 36 hours.

There are many delicious roses made in southern France; but I live in southern California where there is limited availability of French wines. I have therefore been drinking California roses. These wines do not have the same historical reputation as the wines of Tavel, but they are fun.

How thorough and scientific was my analysis of the roses of California? I would classify my study as a fun sampling rather than an exhaustive taste test. The tasting area was a bocce court.

Bocce Court

Although this venue may not be typically used for wine tastings, I found it very effective. During a typical wine tasting you might compare four to ten glasses of wine; intently analyzing the color, smell, and flavor components of each glass. The bocce court method is sightly more relaxed. First, you admire the blue sky and be appreciative of the warm weather. Next, you toss your bocce ball, hopefully with the utmost precision. And finally, you quaff your rose. Delicious.

I have sampled about a dozen California roses, and most were quite good. My favorite rose is Zaca Mesa’s Z Gris. It’s dry, crisp and rather light bodied; which makes it quite refreshing on a warm afternoon. This wine is also complex and very well balanced; making it stand out above the others. My runner up is a rose from Demetria Estate. It’s interesting that Zaca Mesa and Demetria are both located on Foxen Canyon Road in Los Olivos. Note that these wines are best served chilled.

Wine tasting is not just about ratings, it’s about fun. I think Zaca Mesa’s Z Gris is a winner; but I also realize there must be many other great roses. Have you tried a rose that you like?

Slow Food Santa Barbara is a small but rapidly growing group of chefs, farmers, importers, winemakers, and others that are passionate about food. Last Sunday we had an event at Jaffurs Wine Cellars in downtown Santa Barbara.

Jaffurs Wine Cellars is a boutique winery dedicated to producing great Rhone varietals. Craig Jaffurs began producing wines in 1994; and the wines have been getting better every year. Dave Yates, General Manager of Jaffurs, conducted a wine tasting for the group that included: Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Mourvedre, Santa Barbara County Syrah, and a Syrah from Thompson vineyard. The wines were delicious.  More details on Jaffurs can be found on their website.

Good local wine deserves good local food. We are lucky in Santa Barbara to have farms that raise both beef and lamb. It’s great to support local farmers, especially if they provide outstanding products.

Sous chef Glenn Leopold and I set up two barbecue grills in the Jaffurs parking lot to grill burgers and summer squash.  We feasted on lamb burgers from Jimenez Family Farm (website) that were stuffed with feta cheese. Equally delicious were hamburgers from Rancho San Julian (website). Several of the hamburgers were topped with a local cheese from Paso Robles called Seascape. The lamb and beef burgers were huge hits; juicy and exploding with flavor.

Slow Food members each brought a side dish to complement the burgers. The dishes ranged from asparagus to tabouli, and all were spectacular. I can safely say, nobody went home hungry.

Great wine, great food, great friends.