Friday 2 December 2016

California Rosé Winemakers Selection Grenache 2012




Some things just feel right, despite appearances to the contrary; that slightly tatty, war-torn and threadbare armchair that just doesn’t fit in with any design scheme yet you couldn’t live without it, the comfortable yet scruffy overcoat that your wife can’t abide or the slightly daft mug you use in the office that your child bought you as a gift. It’s not essential for things to feel right, or for them to adhere to social conventions. Sometimes they just work.

I’d never really thought of trying a rosé wine with a curry before – this particular Indian feast was home-made, right down to roasting and grinding the spices in exquisitely perfect proportions. Or at least in the proportions that were available at the time of roasting and grinding, anyway. Not a particularly hot curry; the need for others to be able to eat it was given due consideration and heat was kept at a crowd-pleasingly moderate level. So here we were – a rosé chilling in the fridge and a curry being served. Why not? Life is for new discoveries, venturing out of the rut even crossing Rubicons from time to time. Although comparing the trying of a new wine pairing to Julius Caesar’s army committing mass insurrection may trivialise major historic events, to me at least this was a pretty major departure.

Sainsbury’s Californian Rosé, made from the Grenache grape (best known for Southern Rhône wines such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape), proved to be a real eye-opener. It is beautifully plummy, rich in fruitiness and berry flavours. It’s slightly sweet, which may not be to everyone’s taste, but trust me, this worked well with a bitter Indian dish. Quite a lot like a mango chutney or similar in fact. This wine is that well-loved item that sticks out as not quite belonging, yet you know that it is perfect at a time when little else will do. The chair, the overcoat or the mug; eyebrows may occasionally be raised but you just won’t care as your happiness has already been assured.


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