Weekend Wine Picks

What will you be drinking this 4th of July weekend? Are you a beer person, wine person, a little bit of both, or do you prefer seltzer with a little lime? I personally like all of the above, when the mood strikes.

I am excited to say that this week, after an inspired visit to The Urban Grape, I signed up for the Level 2 class at the Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource Center at Boston University. I am already Twitter friends with my instructor and wine expert, Stacy Woods, and I look forward to meeting her in person and learning all that I can from the program.

Since it is a holiday weekend, I thought I would suggest a couple of wines that might go well with your weekend food choices.

The first wine is one that I tried at The Urban Grape, a bottle that my cat broke by pushing it off of the counter. . . Parés Baltà Ros de Pacs, 2009.

This is a very unique rosé, darker in color and bolder in flavor than many other rosé wines. It almost drinks more like a light red than a rosé but is still very summery, especially when chilled for about an hour. The flavors that come through are very much of cherries with a slight acidity that keeps the wine from being too sweet. This wine would be great with grilled fish, fresh salads, and even strongly flavored cheeses.

Another great wine we have been loving lately is from a tasting that we did at Bin Ends, Planeta Cerasuolo di Vittoria Sicilia 2008. I love Sicilian wines for their ripe fruit and hint of spice, characteristics that reflect the soil and hot sunny climate in Sicily. The Planeta website has a really nice description of this wine:

Our Cerasuolo di Vittoria is born in the beautiful countryside of Dorilli, between the sea and the Iblei mountains. The name of the only DOCG in Sicily is derived from ‘Cerasa’, cherry in Sicilian dialect. It is produced from the indigenous varieties Nero d’Avola and Frappato. A unique wine, recognisable and unforgettable for its youthful flavours and aromas of cherry, strawberry and pomegranate, due to the characteristics of the soil and the climate where the vines are cultivated. A wine like few others, uniting tradition and delight.

This wine would go great with barbeque type food which many of us will be eating this weekend!

Graham Beck sparkling wines never cease to surprise me with their great value, festive little bubbles, and taste bud enticing flavors. They also go incredibly well with food, and I would drink these with just about anything. They are a really great value, and I got a nice message from the winemaker the last time I reviewed Graham Beck wines, which says a lot since I write about so many wines!

Hopefully if you are stuck searching for a great wine, these suggestions will help! I would love to hear what you are drinking this weekend, and whatever you do be safe!

Be back tomorrow with lots of pictures of the animal friends I volunteered with today 🙂