rose wine

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One of the biggest highlights of last week’s visit to Sonoma was undeniably getting to see my friend Robin again. I have referred to Robin in past posts, like the time we met at Bistro du Midi and had dinner at Towne, but she is probably most famous for the Venge wine dinner she hosted in September. Robin is a ton of fun, an amazing chef and blogger, and overall just one of those people who you just have to have a good time with!

Sonoma

On a very warm and sunny day (last Tuesday), Eric and I went to Robin’s house where we reunited with her adorable dogs and very sweet mom. I also finally got to meet Cynthia Cosco, the winemaker at Passaggio Wines and someone I have been tweeting with for some time. Luckily, she kindly brought me a bottle of her highly-acclaimed Unoaked Chardonnay. I can not wait until it arrives in Boston (via NJ, stupid MA wine laws!) with the wine we shipped from California. Passaggio unoaked Chardonnay

We also got a sneak preview of Cynthia’s first rosé, which has yet to be released. It was absolutely beautiful.

Passaggio rose

Robin had made lunch reservations at the girl + the fig, a restaurant I was eager to try since we cancelled reservations last March, due to our being on East Coast time and staying pretty far away.

the Girl + the Fig

the girl + the fig is located on Sonoma Plaza, and on this particular day, the weather was perfection. The restaurant touts country food with a French passion, and both the outside and inside are wrapped in cozy French country meets Sonoma warmth.

the Girl + the Fig

the Girl + the Fig

Once we were situated at a big round table near the back, we let the winemaker among us order the wine, a dry rosé, Maison Bouachon from Tavel France, an area known for its dry rosés. Did I mention the weather was perfect? Rosé was a perfect choice, and after we returned the first bottle, which was corked, we were all happy with the wine.

Maison Bouachon Rose

To start, we shared pastis-scented steamed mussels and frites.

frites

Served with grilled bread and a tarragon aioli, the mussels were fragrant and perfectly-cooked, and the frites were nice and crispy, perfect for dipping.

mussels

The table also shared the grass-fed steak tartare which Robin somehow convinced me to try. It was good, but while eating raw tuna doesn’t bother me, I couldn’t get over the raw beef factor.

It was back to veggies for me. I ordered the arugula and fig salad; I figured I must have figs at the girl + the fig. Lightly dressed with a port vinaigrette, the arugula was spicy, the goat cheese creamy and fresh, and the figs like sweet candy.

arugula and fig salad

Robin had the wild flounder meuniere.

wild flounder

And Eric had the beet salad with pretty pink beets.

beet salad

We were all too full from dessert, but I am hoping a return trip to the girl + the fig is in our very near future. Who knows when we will be in Sonoma again?

The Girl and the Fig

A lovely lunch was followed by wine tasting and sunshine. More to come. . .

And if you missed it earlier, please check out my new recipes page!

How’s your Monday coming along?

Girl & the Fig on Urbanspoon

Tags: arugula, Chef Robin White, Figs, Food, frites, mussels, Passaggio, Restaurants, rose wine, Sonoma, the girl + the fig, Travel, wine

Another great evening at Bistro du Midi cemented in my mind that this Back Bay gem is one of my favorite places in Boston.

Having been able to sit outside on my last two visits (here & here), I had never actually been inside Bistro du Midi’s downstairs bar area, which is normally open to the street in nicer weather.

At 5:30, the bar was almost empty and remained that way throughout the hour-plus that we were there. With soft French music in the background, it was the perfect place to catch up with friends Daisy and Megan before heading to the Boston Chocolate School.

Bistro du Midi

We sat at the bar, where I perused the wine list and went with a summery Rosé. While we sipped our drinks, I grabbed a few photos of the space which is cozy, serene, and has a great open kitchen.

Bistro du Midi

Bistro du Midi

And views of the Boston Public Garden. It is a simply lovely space.

Bistro du Midi

Since we had a night of chocolate and wine ahead, we split a few appetizers. There was the perfectly crispy-on-the-outside calamari.

calamari at Bistro du Midi

And the crostini with eggplant and olive spreads.

olive and eggplant spreads at Bistro du Midi

And the un-photographed fried artichokes.

Despite the fact that we had two fried dishes, everything still felt very light and summery. Chalk it up to Bistro du Midi’s Provencal flair! Everything was simple and delicious, went perfectly with my choice of wine, and made me wish it was 70 degrees and the doors to the outside were open. . . and that we could stay for the entire evening.

I love sitting at the bar and catching up with my husband on an impromptu date or with friends after a work day, and Bistro du Midi provides a lovely environment to do just that.

Do you have a bar or restaurant that just says “relaxation” to you, a place you return to repeatedly because you love it so much?

Tags: bar bites, Bistro du Midi, Boston, calamari, Food, fried artichokes, olive tapenade, Provencal food, rose wine, wine

Hi, all! Amie here, guest-blogging for Meghan while she’s in the glorious hills of Wine Country. I figured it would only be fitting to write about wine—or more specifically, the under-appreciated Rosé.

I took a trip to Napa this past April. Of course Napa comes highly recommended, especially if you can do a day of wine tastings at any one of the unique vineyards. I mean, why go to Napa or Sonoma if not to sample great wines, right?

I’ve recently fallen in love with the pink hue and refreshingly crisp taste of Rosé. In my experience, most people write off this style as “too sweet” or “not real wine.” And to that I say, “Have you tried a good one yet?”

Which brings me to my current, ultimate favorite—but there is good and bad news. The good news? Rutherford Hill (Napa) has an amazing 2008 Rosé. The bad news? I am not sure that they distribute locally! I shipped a few bottles home to MA, which was not cheap. You can order on their Web site, but keep in mind the shipping cost. This drier Rosé pairs very well with the lighter fare of Summertime. It’s made with Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes, and is a light ruby color with an equally pleasing taste. It’s a fairly full-bodied Rosé, and while you can taste fruits like strawberry and plum, it is not a sweeter variety. Love it!

Rutherford Hill

rose-ruth2

Next up is a 2009 Robert Oatley Rosé of Sangiovese from Australia. I picked this one up on a whim. All I knew about this wine was that I wanted a Rosé, so why not a new one! I also like Sangiovese wine, so figured I’d like this one. (It also happened to be on sale, shhhh.). While I really loved the bottle’s label, I wasn’t totally sold on its contents. (Sidenote: Yes, I do often choose wine based on its label. I blame it on being a graphic designer!) This is not a bad wine, don’t get me wrong. To me, it was just a little too crisp, with too little fruit notes. It tasted almost like cranberry in a way. However if you have an aversion to sweet wines, you may want to give this one a shot!

Robert Oatley wine

The third that I’ve recently been enjoying is the 2008 Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé from South Africa. It’s wallet-friendly, has eye-pleasing packaging, and is simply delicious! It is so perfect for any summer meal cooked and/or eaten outdoors, and is very BBQ friendly. Again, this has the typical red hue, along with layers of strawberry, cherry, rose, and peach. It’s a tad peppery, but that keeps it refreshing and not too sweet!

Mulderbosch Wine

rose-muld-flickr

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much, Amie, for writing about one of my favorite summer wines. If you get the chance, definitely check out Amie’s blog and portfolio website

As you all know, my favorite Rosé is from Travessia right here in Massachusetts. I have also recently discovered another favorite, Pares Balta Ros de pacs which you can get at The Urban Grape and other great wine stores, and on this visit to Sonoma I loved Amista’s Rosé of Syrah. More to come on Amista later, but if you are visiting Sonoma anytime soon, just go there. I will be back tomorrow with my regular old posting schedule. I have missed the blogging world, but it has been nice to have a few days off from everything! 🙂

Tags: Guest Blogger, Mulderbosch, Robert Oakley, rose wine, Rutherford Hill, Summer wine, wine reviews

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