We enjoyed dinner at Franklin Square Wine Bar this evening. We are big fans and now they have kid night. $10 buys entertainment and dinner for your child. They also have many great wines available by the taste, glass or bottle. The table next to us was enjoying Four Thirteen - great choice of course. We decided to taste some things we hadn't had before....

• 2007 Esporão Blanco from Alentejo, Portugal. It was made with Antão Vaz. Never heard of this grape and very much enjoyed it.
  
• 2007 Berroia, Txakolina de Bizaia, Spain. It was made with 90% Hondarribi Zuri, 6% Folle Blanche, and 4% Riesling. I have had several Txakolina wines before and really like this one. Worth seeking out.
• 2007 José Palacios from Bierzo. Made with Mencia. We actually have some older bottles of this in the cellar. Very nice.
  
• 2005 Castillo de Ulver, vino de la Tierra Castiila y Leon. Also made with Mencia.

If you are in Oakland, have a child and want to join us one Monday night, drop us a line.

There was a huge debate on changes to EU rules regarding the making of Rosé. The EU was proposing that Rosé could be made blending red and white wine. The idea was to make wines more competitive. Today, the proposed rule change was rejected. In an interesting twist, the New York Times printed an editorial supporting tradition.

First, a little explanation. Rosés are not, as some people believe, a mix. In Provence, the most frequently used method for producing a true rosé is called maceration, a delicate process in which the skins of crushed red grapes are allowed to remain in contact with the juice for several hours before they are removed and the fermentation proceeds. The grape skins impart the light red color to rosé. Their quick removal reduces the tannins in the final product, making rosés more like a fine dry white.
FRANÇOIS MILLO, New York Times, June 7, 2009 Taking the Bloom Off the Rose

Of course, there are lots of other regulations for making Rosé. If you are interested in the AOC regulations for Tavel for example and you read French, they are published at www.inao.gouv.fr

I just had a great trip to New York and Connecticut this past week. I met a ton of our customers - consumers, servers, sommeliers and retail sales people. It is always great to talk to the people who sell and drink our wine. It is even better when they love the wine which they did!

Our friends at Ancona's Wine & Liquor mentioned they had blogged about Isabel's Cuvee on their The Last Great Glass blog. Looking for the post this morning (Donkey...), I ended up reading a ton of beer reviews. If you like beer, you should check out this blog - http://thelastgreatglass.blogspot.com/

We celebrated Tracey's birthday for a second time this weekend. We arrived at the beach early, as in 8:00 AM, to ensure we got the best possible spot at Heart's Desire Beach. (If you haven't been, go this summer. I think it is closing with the California budget cuts after Labor Day - marinmommies.com) When we got there, it was empty. The fog was in and it was cold. Having a beach to yourself (with a friend for Isabel to play with) is about as nice as it gets.

Around 11, as more people arrived, we opened more and more red wines despite our plan to focus on Isabel's Cuvée (our rosé). The reds worked better with weather - especially the Syrah's. Even 4/13 was a bit too bright for the cold beach.

Watching my daughter on the beach and everyone drinking red wine, I thought about how specific times and places are. The last time we were this beach, a white would have been perfect. On Saturday, the Syrahs were perfect.

As the 2008 Roussanne gets closer to bottling, I am struck by how influenced it is by the weather. The 2007 from Fenaughty was dominated by a mineral streak. The 2008 is more like cider with honeysuckle. I can still taste the vineyard but I think the weather plays a bigger influence. 2008 was warmer then 2007 and it was a shorter season. The minerality is there but not as pensive. To compare it to the beach, 2007 was a foggy day at a northern California beach. 2008 is a warm day at the beach in Santa Cruz...


Photo by Mega Leslie.