Weekend Wine: Rosé Day!

Two upcoming dates mean “let’s drink rosé!” May 30 is a national holiday, which means backyard barbecues and parties with your pals. Then, a few weeks later, June 11 is National Rosé Day.

To be honest, there are at least a half-dozen days stipulated as rosé days around the world. I can’t remember them all, but that’s partly because in our home, rosé day is any day we have a taste for rosé.

Special occasions call for a French version like Gerard Bertrand Cote Des Roses Rosé or Domaine Tempier. But when we just need something to go with burgers or burritos, our most common go-to rosé is made by the wonderful Zucardi family of Argentina. Their wine company is called Santa Julia and their rosé is Innovación Rosé. We have visited their winery outside of Mendoza, Argentina, and can tell you that they treat their workers well, providing everything from higher wages to schools for their children.

Innovación is made from Malbec and Syrah and a bottle runs $12.99. However, their wine comes in 1-liter bottles unlike most others’ .750-liter bottles. That means a normal-size bottle would have to go for less than $9.75 to beat Innovación’s bargain. And what a bargain. It has big red berry aromas and a texture very close to a red wine. Innovación is available at some Whole Foods and on Amazon, and it is readily available online. Don’t miss this incredible bargain.