We went to a Rosé wine tasting in support of Re-Think for Breast Cancer Research. It was at Bridges Restaurant on Granville island. I've eaten there in the past. The seafood is yummmy but the food they put out this evening was... well, pathetic. They only had one small cheese table and then way in the back, a small side table with a some salmon on toasted french stick and shrimp on tortilla. That was it. Now, the cheese was amazing. They had one incredible soft goat cheese encrusted with peppercorns as well as really nice foccacia. But for grazing events, particularly at a restaurant of Bridges tier, this was less than par.
The wine, well, I was off Roses for a while and now I know why. Roses are prone to inferiority complexes. They have no personality of their own and tend to be watery. Now this is a generality. Of the 30 wines being poured, I really would buy maybe 5. There were some just weak ones that weren't offensive and then there were the offensive ones. KOOOLAID, sweet and sticky and not in a good way.
BEST: Jacquart Rosé NV – Champagne, France. Wonderful. Crisp, lovely, summer pure summer. I went back to this station quite alot. The bottle goes for 80 bucks in BC.
Fireblock Grenache Rosé 2006 – Clare Valley, Australia. At a more reasonable 30 (probably18 in most other places), this was a very nice glass. Had a brawn of it's own and none of the inferiority complex of it's watery peers. I would serve this with any grilled fish or some lighter pasta's.
Worst: Misconduct Wine Co. ‘Massacre’ Rosé 2007 - BC, aggressive, slightly sour, thinks it was born to be a merlot or pinot but didn't make it and is pissed. Don't waste your dollar. There were some suprising bargains you should try I'll list.
Gross/KOOLAID: Taylor Fladgate Croft Pink Port NV - Portugal. Let's get something straight. I love port. I am a fan of Taylor Fladgate port. This was just awful. I poured it away as fast as I could. It was like watered down port but with extra sugar. Brutal.
Joie Farm Gamay Pinot Noir Rosé 2008 – Naramata, BC. Not as sweet as the Croft but surprisingly sweet for a Pinot rose. You know given the right circumstances I could drink this but not with most foods.
Good Deals: L’Hortus Syrah/Grenache Rosé 2006 – Languedoc, France. Fresh, crisp, orchard fruit. Nice. Can stand up to a light meal.
Gabarda Syrah/Tempranillo Rosé 2006 - Spain. Strawberries and licorice. Had a sassy personality. With the Tempranillo could easy stand up to food without withering. Both of these are near the 20$ or under mark in BC and that's something for decent wine. If you hit below under 10 around here you are drinking swill. Seriously, because of the tax structure in British Columbia. I miss the states and europe for well priced GOOD wine.
We won a few of the silent auctions as well. I don't know why it is around here but the silent auctions don't do well. We normally bid up if it's a good cause. I've bid on things like skydiving though I'm terrified of heights because I wanted to help. I bought a dinner for two to Bridges and D got me a hour massage and 2 kayak rentals. Yay!
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