Turkey Flat Rose 2008, $15 Summer Goodness

I was introduced to Turkey Flat by a local wine store named Corkscrewed. I thought the name was pretty clever!

Every year the Turkey Flat Rose changes in complexity by the varying percentage of grapes used. Turkey Flat uses all of the following grapes: Grenache, Shiraz, Cabernet and Dolcetto. The result is a beautifully flushed wine, of which 2008 came in a little dry. The 2006 was a little sweeter, but I still enjoyed the 2008 thoroughly and look forward to what 2009 will bring. Stock up on this perennial favorite for your next pic-nic or BBQ, you won't be disappointed.

How does a Rose get it's pink color you ask? Rose's use both white and red grapes, but the red grape skins are left in for a short time before being removed. A longer steep yields a darker pink, a shorter steep, a lighter pink. Vwalla!

Cheers!

Wine stemware, expensive accessories

The first time I used a large tumbler wine glass, I thought it looked a little silly. Proportionately it looked very large in my hand, like I was carrying around a decanter! I quickly became a convert of the larger glasses though. They hold more wine and it's easier to aerate the wine. With the wider opening you can really get your nose in there and inhale the beautiful aromas. If you're really picky, there's a wine glass for almost every varietal...

...but much like wine itself, stemware isn't cheap. Some are mass produced, some hand blown, the sky's the limit. And contrary to what the marketing might say, ALL will break on you. I've gone through 20 in the last year and a half. I'm not unusually clumsy, they are very fragile. You'll break them while hand washing, you'll break them bumping into another glass and I'm not convinced a shrill scream won't break them... Riedel makes a line of crack resistant glasses, but they don't seem any tougher than others.

If you don't own a set of larger glasses, I highly recommend giving them a try, they will greatly enhance your wine drinking experience. Bargain shop them though, they won't be your first set!

Cheers!