2008 Les Sorts Rosat

A Spanish rose, 90% grenache, 10% carignan, from Celler el Masroig in the Mont Sant DO (Denominacio d'Origen, one of Spain's legally defined wine making regions -- comparable to a French Appellation Controllee or an Italian Denominazione di Origine Controllata). Mont Sant lies in northeastern Spain's Catalan region, on the Mediterranean coast; Tarragona and Barcelona are two of its principal cities.

Ruby red grapefruit color -- very slight gamy aroma -- juicy, fresh, a tiny bit leathery -- very good.

Dry roses are the rarest finds in the wine aisle of a grocery store. I'm told that they become more sought after and therefore easier to find in the summer, when people's taste changes and the crisp refreshment of a dry rose seems right, just as the warmth of a red seems right in winter. Of course this makes some sense, but I confess to feeling just a bit impatient with such sensible seasonal thinking, especially if it becomes rigid and cramps my style, or my learning curve. Let's don't feel we must wait till June: do have a nice dinner of crisp fried fish, any time, or a creamy pasta dish, anytime, and see how well a dry rose pairs with either -- ignoring for the moment what the wind, rain, and sun are doing outside.