# Wine -- Week Twelve **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** wine\ **Created:** [June 28, 2007, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831 "2007-06-28T21:50:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2007, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/41 "2007-07-08T21:44:55Z")
Oh, sure, the week I go on vacation is the week there’s a hiccup in the sommelier. (No pun intended.) But I should have known the dedicated SDMB winos would soldier on and overcome – it about moves me to tears of pride. 🙂 Thank you for picking up the slack, **flickster** , **psycat** , and **Necros**. I’m off to try to locate the **Adelsheim Rose**. Hope my fellow Americans had a great Independence day week, and the non-USA’ers had a great week too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/42 "2007-07-09T14:47:40Z")
Wow, I am surprised everyone seems to be striking out on finding this wine. I thought that with me being able to locate it in multiple liquor stores, it might be ok. Sorry, all. 🙂 But it seems like you have found good replacements! **psycat90** , I am especially interested in what you think of the Sinskey… ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/43 "2007-07-09T15:46:18Z")
No dice on the Adelsheim here in NC. I think I’ll bow out for this week. Enjoy, everyone! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/44 "2007-07-09T16:19:46Z")
[QUOTE=Necros] Wow, I am surprised everyone seems to be striking out on finding this wine. I thought that with me being able to locate it in multiple liquor stores, it might be ok. Sorry, all. 🙂 But it seems like you have found good replacements! **psycat90** , I am especially interested in what you think of the Sinskey… [/QUOTE] I’m going to check out BevMo in San Jose either today or tomorrow and see what they have. I was in the local Safeway this weekend (they have a very good wine selection) and they had exactly 1 Rosé, buried amongst the White Zins. I figured I’d let that one stay where it was. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/45 "2007-07-09T16:33:24Z")
Ditto. I’ll hit Bevmo in a bit, but so far the rosé front is looking mighty bleak around here. ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/46 "2007-07-09T17:15:00Z")
2006 Robert Sinskey Vin Gris of Pinot Noir I drank it yesterday while cleaning house, then paired what was left with my dinner of fish tacos. It matched perfectly. The color didn’t impress me, it looked like a watered down rosé or a white with a drop of food coloring, but I was more interested in the taste than the color anyway. I liked the aromas - strawberries, grapefruit, lemon, and I liked the flavors - more grapefruit, melon, a little cranberry, and the tiniest bit of vanilla. Nice, bright acidity and a clean finish. Great summer wine. I did pick up another Rosé and drank that one on Saturday. 2006 Soter - from Oregon. It was also a pretty nice wine. Grapefruit, cherries, strawberries, with a little more weight to it and a gorgeous pink color. I’ll probably open another one tonight, though I don’t know which one yet. ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2007, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/47 "2007-07-09T17:18:00Z")
I found the Toad Hollow Rose at World Market. Circumstances intervened with trying it out this weekend, but I will shoot for tonight to open it up. ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/48 "2007-07-10T00:46:19Z")
According to the web site the wholesaler in S. Florida sells to our little local wine store run by the nice french man. I’m going to have a look over there and see if he has it. If he doesn’t maybe he’ll order it for me. My husband and I just finished a lovely french rose’ from Provence that was just delicious. We are big fans of rose’ so I can’t wait to try this one. I’m going to the wine shop tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/49 "2007-07-10T00:49:59Z")
[QUOTE=velvetjones] My husband and I just finished a lovely french rose’ from Provence that was just delicious. [/QUOTE] Hey, this is supposed to be a wine club. You can’t post something like that and not tell us what it was!! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/50 "2007-07-10T02:33:20Z")
[QUOTE=flickster] Local supplier had the Adelsheim Pinot, but no Rose. I made an alternate selection of Kestrel Rose 2005 from Kestrel View Estate Vineyard in Prosser, Washington. Figured I could at least stay in the Northwest Region. [/QUOTE] OK, I have a huge F’ing problem. Due to the fact that I keep finding more and more “must haves” to keep on-hand, I am going to need to remodel so I can increase my wine storage capacity 😛 This would have been much simpler when we lived in an area where houses came with basements, so all donations will be accepted 😉 As you have probably guessed from the above statement, I really liked my alternate selection, the [Kestrel Rose](http://www.kestrelwines.com/our-wines/ros%E9-2006/). Not too dry, but not sweet either. Nice citrus tones with the dominant being grapefruit. The color was a nice medium blush tone that didn’t give you the impression of being “washed out”. I will be keeping more of this in stock, at least for the summer, which last forever in Houston. ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/51 "2007-07-10T03:18:39Z")
So, at first I was bummed that people couldn’t find this wine. But now I think it’s great because, as a rose fan, I now have a bunch of things other people have found to try! I will definitely be searching for **flickster** ’s substitute, and hope to hear good things about **longhair75** ’s Toad Hollow. I am also extremely happy that I could get people drinking roses, since I love them. Not as much as Champagne or a great Sauternes, but they are up there. Plus, I don’t think the SDMB Wine Club would think much of my recommending a $500 Yquem. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/52 "2007-07-10T18:01:47Z")
No go at BevMo. But they had the Toad Hollow, so I got that. $8.99. I picked up a bottle of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, too, since that was a recommendation a few times ago-- I’ve had great success with NZ SBs from the Marlborough region, and I’d heard this one mentioned in other places as well. Ok, OK, I actually bought a whole case of various wines while I was there perusing their selection. They have a pretty good variety of wines from other countries, which is nice because many wine shops around here focus almost exclusively on CA wines. ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/53 "2007-07-10T18:26:30Z")
**Great Dave’s** earlier suggestion of a lighter wine seems to have been shared by all of us. I had previously picked up a few rosés, one from Provence, and after **John Mace’s** linked article, picked up a bottle of rosé from our old friend Marques de Caceres. Unfortunately, no luck with **Necros’** pick. Adelsheim yes, but not their rosé, and the Sinskey rosé doesn’t seem to be available, either. If anyone can suggest a Pinot Noir rosé from Willamette Valley that seems to be widely available, I’ll check it out. [QUOTE=psycat90] I kinda sorta tried to answer some similar questions in GQ a few months back… [/QUOTE] I just wanted to briefly thank you for that explanation and for the links. Unfortunately, the only chemistry I took in High School… Well, that’s a story for another forum and it was the '60s after all. However, I liken your post to the research I did when I brewed beer. Any knowledge is good, and I like to think that a little understanding deepens the appreciation. ETA: Oh, and yay! Two pages already, and the reviews haven’t even started. ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/54 "2007-07-10T19:26:33Z")
No thanks needed. I actually enjoy trying to answer questions here, it helps me to research and study even more than I already am. I’ve got another rosé in the fridge for tonight! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/55 "2007-07-10T20:17:43Z")
[QUOTE=John Mace] Hey, this is supposed to be a wine club. You can’t post something like that and not tell us what it was!! 😉 [/QUOTE] I’m so sorry. We usually write the outstanding ones in our little wine diary but this one we didn’t and the bottle has long been hauled away in the trash. I’ll try and do better…I promise! ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/56 "2007-07-11T01:03:44Z")
I have the second glass of the Eye of the Toad 2006 Sonoma County dry pinot noir rose on the desk at my elbow as I type this. I don’t really care much for Pinot. The few bottles I have tried had a bitter, rather sour taste. The Toad Hollow is the exception. it has a nice light fruity taste. It has been real hot here of late, and I find the chilled wine odd. but pleasant. An earlier choice of this club was a sparkling white wine from Toad Hollow. This makes two in a row from that winery that I have liked. As I understand it, The owner of the Toad Hollow Winery is the brother of Robin Williams. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/57 "2007-07-11T03:54:52Z")
Drinking the Toad Hollow with dinner now. Dinner = salmon\*, rice and asparagus. Wow, this is a super dry Rosé! It was a little off-putting at first, since it seems to have virtually no residual sugar. Very citrusy, but not much of a lingering taste. It’s an austere wine that might take some getting used to. The Rosé I drink the most of is Testarossa which is more fruity and light. That one has a some more complex flavors, but it’s a lot more expensive, too. * * * Glass #3 is much different, and much better (IMHO). Maybe the first two were at too low a temperature. This one seems to have more of a flowery, spicy taste to it with a nice finish. I probably didn’t let it come up to temperature enough before I started sipping. \*poached in a lemon/rosé wine combo. ---
**Author:** ![thingnumberone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@thingnumberone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thingnumberone)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/58 "2007-07-11T21:38:38Z")
I figure I’d better post about the Adelsheim Rose as I’ve had the opportunity to taste it (being **Necros** ’s wife). For me the thing I like best about it is how balanced it is - it really tastes like a wine right between a white and a red. Since I’m a big red drinker, and **Necros** really likes whites, I find this one to be a good compromise. I also like that it’s not sweet like other “pink” wines (I hadn’t tried a rose before earlier this year, only the awful white zins) and love the fruity undertones. I believe roses are some of the perfect summer wines and am very excited to see the trend of more dry roses being offered by some very good wineries and look forward to trying several of the ones posted previously in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/59 "2007-07-12T14:16:07Z")
[QUOTE=longhair75] I don’t really care much for Pinot. The few bottles I have tried had a bitter, rather sour taste. [/QUOTE] I’m so glad to hear that I am not the only person who feels this way, _Sideways_ notwithstanding. I’d had that same reaction to some lesser priced bottles, but still felt the same after a bottle of [Au Bon Climat](http://www.aubonclimat.com/detail.asp?Product_ID=WPNO06D), which has a reputation for a very good Pinot Noir. I also have a bottle of [La Crema](http://www.lacrema.com/wines/appellation/sc_2005pinotnoir.html) at home, but (truth to tell) have been a bit reluctant to open the bottle when there are so many other wines that I am certain I will like. But, that is good news about the Toad Hollow, and I’ll give it a try. [QUOTE=John Mace] It was a little off-putting at first, since it seems to have virtually no residual sugar. [/QUOTE] I’ve seen you talk about this before, and that residual sugar does not necessarily correlate to sweetness (or did I get that wrong?). Is there any simple way to explain this to a newbie? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2007, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831/60 "2007-07-12T16:25:21Z")
[QUOTE=Plynck] I’m so glad to hear that I am not the only person who feels this way, _Sideways_ notwithstanding. I’d had that same reaction to some lesser priced bottles, but still felt the same after a bottle of [Au Bon Climat](http://www.aubonclimat.com/detail.asp?Product_ID=WPNO06D), which has a reputation for a very good Pinot Noir. I also have a bottle of [La Crema](http://www.lacrema.com/wines/appellation/sc_2005pinotnoir.html) at home, but (truth to tell) have been a bit reluctant to open the bottle when there are so many other wines that I am certain I will like. But, that is good news about the Toad Hollow, and I’ll give it a try. I’ve seen you talk about this before, and that residual sugar does not necessarily correlate to sweetness (or did I get that wrong?). Is there any simple way to explain this to a newbie? [/QUOTE] It’s a matter of balance. If the residual sugar is balanced with the appropriate level of acidity, it doesn’t necessarily taste “sweet” in the same way that a sugary, low-acid wine would. In fact, you may find that even “dry”, low-acid white wines will taste sweeter than a wine that has the right balance of acid and residual sugar. There’s a actually decent article about this in Wikipedia: [Sweetness of Wine](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetness_of_wine). > [@](#): > > The sweetness of a wine is defined by the level of residual sugar (or RS) in the final liquid after the fermentation has ceased. However, how sweet the wine will actually taste is also controlled by factors such as the acidity and alcohol levels, the amount of tannin present, and whether the wine is sparkling. For example, a sweet wine such as a Vouvray can actually taste dry due to the high level of acidity, or a dry wine can taste sweet if the alcohol level is elevated. > > In recent decades, an increase in the population who only occasionally drink wine has led to an increase in the sweetness of many cheap wines, and as a result, medium and sweet wines have a perception among many drinkers of being of lower quality than dry wines. However, many of the world’s great wines, such as those from Sauternes, Barsac or Tokaj, have a high level of residual sugar which is carefully balanced with additional acidity to produce a harmonious result. BTW, I drink the La Crema Pinot all the time-- it’s one of my favorites. But if you don’t like Pinot in general, you probably won’t like that one either. Try it, though. You never know! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wine-week-twelve/409831.md?page=2)