Pink for Spring

I'm not a bubbly gal or a rosé chica -- at least that is what I thought before sipping on the '06 Sofia Blanc de Blancs (in two forms) and quaffing some '06 Cline Mouvèdre Rosé. Blame it on the warmer spring weather we've been having, but I'm definitely craving some sparkling, rosé or a combination of the two to quench my thirst when I'm trying to rid my skin of its pale tone these days.

I first had the Sofia in the cans at 222 Hyde, a grungy, graffiti-laced Tenderloin bar in SF where some of the best techno parties go down. It was a nice change to beer or mixed drinks. After doing a Google search, I found out that clubgoers are a main target of the canned sparkling goodie. Voilà!

Then when I couldn't find an already-chilled sparkling rosé in BevMo to take to a techno day party in Golden Gate park, I grabbed the full size Sofia Blanc de Blancs, which comes in a lovely bottle and pink cellophane wrapper. I left the wrapper on to distinguish my bottle from the collection that was stored in the shade behind the speakers. My Freixenet Cordon Brut Negro-drinking friend Chris turned her nose up at the sweeter Sofia, with it's bright flavors of melon, pear and floral notes, but it was far more complex and refreshing to me.

On a jaunt up to wine country last weekend, I stopped in at Cline Cellars, which was packed at 11:15 a.m. but filled with extremely hospitable staff and friendly tasters as well. One of the bottles I took home from there was the '06 Cline Mouvèdre Rosé, which had a fruitier, more robust taste (but enough acidity to provide balance) than many rosés. Cline bills it as "the perfect breakfast wine" -- I like how they think! Mouvèdre is one of my favorite grapes, so I will be looking for more rosés made from that varietal.

Next up on the rose front is Bonny Doon's'06 Vin Gris de Cigare, which incorporates Grenache Blanc into their Southern Rhone GSM red blend. The weather forecast looks pink for the weekend!