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Spring is now here! The pink wine was flowing at the Pink Out! event in San Francisco. It’s an annual happening celebrating Rose´wines, put on by the Rose´Advocates & Producers (RAP).  It’s a great reason to break out your pink clothes and accessories. Real men do drink and wear pink! And yes, that’s my pink shoe.

Rose´ wines are fantastic — dry and crisp and light, perfect for warm weather drinking. Rose´ is made from a variety of grapes, from Pinot Noir to Syrah to Tempranillo.

I tasted old and new favorites, so here’s my shout out list.

My “go to” Rose´ bottlings:
Lucia – a Rose´ of Pinot Noir from the Pisoni family. Zippy with lots of strawberry

Blackbird “Arriviste” -A beautiful Rose´ of Merlot

Azur Rose´ – I first discovered Julien Fayard’s delicious Rose´ at last year’s Pink Out. It’s as good as ever, a classic southern France-style wine, dry and crisp.

Discoveries:
Dunstan Wines Durell Vineyard – a rose of Pinot Noir, floral and strawberry notes. That’s Chris Towt holding the bottle. A man not afraid to wear pink — with a cowboy hat!

Amorosa Bella NV brut Rose´ – a sparkling Rose´that’s a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, made by Ziggy Eschliman, radio superstar “The Wine Gal.” It’s bright and lively and just a big yum!

Hendry Winery – a rose that’s a mouthwatering blend of Cabernet and Zinfandel.

Dacalier Wine Co – a Southern Rhone-style blend of Grenache and Mourvedre

Lasseter Family Winery – a classic GSM Rose´- Greanache-Syrah-Mourvedre blend. A lot of buzz about this wine from John Lasseter (Pixar) and family.

Best Values:
Wines from France’s Loire Valley, home to those amazing chateaux (or castles), were the steal of the event. These wines, called Rose´ d’Anjou, are about $10 per bottle! An easy wine to sip for the money. Seek these out in your local wine shop! Producers pouring at Pink Out! included Sauvion, Remy Pannier, Barton & Guestier and Marquis de Goulaine.

Best wine story
We were told that the Ros´ from French producer Chateau Minuty will be served at the Canned Film Festival, and we’re drinking this newly released Rose´ Cru Classe before the stars get to try it.

And finally, TasteLive.com made a splashy debut at Pink Out! I was interviewed about the event by Alan Kropf, editor of Mutineer magazine. It’s about 5 minutes, check it out here. It was shot/recorded by a computer camera, and as you can see, the field of view not big enough for both interviewer and interviewee. Ah well, I was in head-to-toe pink, even had on bright fushia lipstick and gloss.
http://www.tastelive.com/pinkout/events/rap-pink-out-san-francisco-2010

It’s the beginning of the wine social season if you will — Premiere Napa Valley.  This past weekend trade and media descended on the valley to taste special barrel lots created by Napa Valley winemakers that are auctioned off on Saturday afternoon. It’s a chance to meet the winemakers and owners, and to network within the industry. There are winery open houses, dinners, wine and more wine.

This is when you get a good feel for the vintage.  Here, the 2008 reds made their debut.  There were many issues with that growing season, including frost and fires.  Yields were low.  Winemakers who’ve been holding their collective breath can breathe a sigh of relief.  Almost everyone I talked to is very pleased with the wines.  To me, they are restrained but complex, with long finishes.

PNV is also about buying wine.  All the auction lots are exclusive to the Premiere Napa Valley “brand.”  Retail and restaurant buyers and distributors bid on the lots during the charity auction.  By the end of Saturday’s bidding, all 200 lots sold for a total of roughly $2 million, 29% better than last year’s tally.  The highest bid was $37,000 for the Shafer Vineyards lot.  Is this a sign the economy is turning around and wine sales will recover lost ground?  Let’s hope so – I’ll raise a glass to that!

Instead of a “best of” or “top 10 list” I decided to highlight the wineries and wines that should be on your radar.  The 2008 reds won’t be released until 2011 at the earliest.

Anomaly Vineyards – these folks changed their wine the Thursday before PNV, a brave move.  Went from blend w/ 60% Cab to 100% cab.  Kudos for following your instincts.

Arietta – a beautiful 100% Semillon with floral aromatics

Ashe Family Vineyards – a new winery with debut releases.  Also had a 100% Sauvignon Blanc, nice and refreshing.  Phillipe Melka is the winemaker.

Blackbird Vineyards – incredible Merlot based wines.  more to come in another post

Black Coyote Chateau – a first time showing at PNV.  Rich layers of flavor – a beautiful wine from Atlas Peak.  Well done!

Chimney Rock Winery – a fabulous wine from the fabulous winemaking team of Elizabeth Vianna and Doug Fletcher.

Dyer Vineyard – really loved this wine, a 100% Cabernet Franc.  Very very aromatic.  From Bill and Dawnine Dyer (look for one of Dawnine’s other wine projects, Meteor Vineyard)

Emblem Wines - Rob Mondavi, Jr. and Michael Mondavi are behind this label.  The lush Cab is all Rutherford fruit.

Gemstone Vineyard – I’m a big fan of Paul and Suzie Frank’s Gemstone wine.  Elegant and complex.

Hourglass – love the violets in the nose

Juslyn Vineyards – Carolyn and Perry Butler’s second PNV is smooth and elegant.  This is also the team behind the Footcandy shoe boutiques.

Tierra Roja – All of Linda Neal’s vineyard management experience is now captured in her own label.  A lovely wine.

Tuck Beckstoffer Wines – my first time tasting Tuck’s wines.  Track down Mockingbird.  More on these wines in a future post.

Venge Vineyards – rich and velvety.  Kirk Venge’s family is rooted in Napa Valley.

VinRoc Wine Caves – this winery is located in the up-and-coming Atlas Peak appellation of Napa.  It’s a wine worth seeking out and discovering, especially if you like rose´