“Dry, Sophisticated - And Pink”, is the
headline of the column where Parker, the most eminent
international wine critic, talks about the path that
rosé wine has taken over recent years. “Sales
of rosé have been climbing over the past few
years as consumers discover that pink wine can be crisp
and dry, not just sugary plonk…most rosés
generally are food-friendly but equally enjoyable as
aperitifs”, he explains.
Parker’s list in made up of vintage wines from
2006. Of the nine wines on the list, the three Spanish
wines are placed in the first four positions. The first,
Protocolo Rosado (88 points) from Dominio de Eguren,
he says stands out for its, “…bouquet of
cranberries and raspberries…light in body, hot
pink in colour…” and considers it, “…terrific
value”. Next is Mas Donís a wine from DO
Montsant by Celler de Capçanes, which Parker
describes as having, “… excellent acidity
for a great price”. And lastly, Muga Rosado, made
by the bodega of the same name and registered with QDO
Rioja, he considers as one of the best Spanish rosés
with its, “…wonderful sweet cherry notes
with some flowers and touches of lavender and Provençal
herbs”. These are just some of the characteristics
that the prominent critic is adamant about.
These three wines rub shoulders with other rosés
from France, California and Australia.
The Eguren family owns some of the top bodegas
in Spain, from the value oriented Dominio de Eguren
bodega to the Sierra Cantabria, San Vincente and Viñedos
de Paganos bodegas in the Rioja DOCa region, two of
which I visited during my visit to Rioja last summer.
The Tempranillo and Granacha based Roses are a testimonial
to the passion of Eguren brothers one of whom is the
winemaker. I also visited Bodega Muga in Haro, Rioja,
an old family winery steeped in traditional winemaking
methods, being modernized by the present generation
of young Muga cousins.
To add to the list , I must mention Valduero Rosado
from DO Ribera and Rosado Gran Feudo from Bodegas Chivite,
in Navarra are very good quality Rose wines from Spain
that we have tried in India. In fact, North West part
of Spain (except Galicia)does a let better with Rose’s
made from Tempranillo and Granacha than whites. So it
is not surprising that Robert Parker is enamoured with
the Pink-editor.
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