Elizabeth Rose 2009 Rosé

Nothing says springtime like a refreshing glass of rosé. At a recent food and wine tasting at Cooking with Class, guests were spellbound by Elizabeth Rose 2009 Rosé. All eyes were riveted by the colorful elixir that gushed glassfuls of dark pink and magenta hues. And boy, did it deliver on the palate too, with taste buds shifting into high gear as the first sips went down.

Newcomers to this wine might mistake the gorgeous color and bold strawberry aromas as a sign of sweetness. Instead, this lip-smacking lovely finishes dry and crisp. Napa winemaker Kristi Koford uses grapes sourced from two certified organic vineyards in Yountville and Oakville to craft the Syrah-based Rhône-style blend. The cold soak and stainless steel fermentation yields a juicy sipper that bursts with fresh-tasting, ripe raspberry and strawberry fruit. Rosy to the end, it blossoms with warm spice and rhubarb tang on the finish.

And yes, there really is an Elizabeth Rose. The fetching label of this family-owned winery holds a story of tradition and pluck. A few years ago, this special rosé was created and named for the daughter of one of the winery founders to mark her 21^st birthday. As told to us, that red-headed young lady hails from a long line of flame-haired beauties, one being her beloved great-grandmother after whom she was named. The youngster loved all things red and rosy. Flush with youthful imagination, she would often sign her name Elizabeth Rose. Her bemused dad later interpreted this as Elizabeth Rosé. So, with a birthday that marked the end of a childhood era as fanciful Elizabeth Rose and an official passage into adulthood, the wine was given the name Elizabeth Rose Rosé in honor of both youthful exuberance and strong family bonds. 

Do like they do at Bonded Winery 9 and pair this wine with barbecue and a host of warm weather fare such as lightly spiced salads, white meats, fish and appetizers. Or, take a tip from Elizabeth Rose and drink it all year round, especially with seasonal watermelon salad for total refreshment.

Claim your screw-capped bottle for about $12 at Cooking with Class in La Quinta, behind the big Walgreen's off 48^th Avenue and Washington Street. Chances are good Chef Andie and I will share this springtime goodness at another Cooking with Class event but why wait?

Check out the April class schedule now posted online. A week from today on Friday, April 1^st is next month's food and wine tasting. Sign up today or call 760.777.1161 to stake your place before this popular event sells out again.

Bodegas Borsao 2008 Tres Picos Garnacha

Tres Picos 2008 Garnacha hails from Campo de Borja. Campo de what? Borja, the Spanish name for Borgia, the infamous Italian Renaissance family of Spanish heritage whose scandals gave nobility a bad name.

Reds rule in Campo de Borja, and none rules mightier than Garnacha. The region, recognized as a D. O. (Denominación de Orígen) in 1980 lies within Zaragoza province, southeast of La Rioja. Although it is home to only 17 wineries, Campo de Borja Garnacha casts a long shadow to fans of this spicy varietal.

Bodegas Borsao 2008 Tres Picos is made in a modern style, with rich, mouth-filling texture and plush flavors of blackberry and dark cherry fruit. Herb and spice notes unfurl cloves, pepper and anise followed by leather and sweet pipe tobacco. Over and above its seductive aromatics, the wine's greatest reward is its food-friendliness. Try it with grilled sweet Italian sausage and a dab of Walla Walla onion whole-grain mustard.

Garnacha goes by Grenache in France and many parts of the New World. Italians know it as Cannonau, a word taken from Sardinian dialect, and the place where the grape probably originated. Although Garnacha is known for high-yielding vines and ripe, alcoholic wines, the grapes grown for Tres Picos have it tough. Harvested from old vines that struggle in poor soil along rugged edges of hillside terrain, the meager yield of two tons per acre produces concentrated wines, expressive of terroir and layered with flavor and nuance. 

If you're warming up to Spanish wine, look for the name of Spanish importer Jorge Ordoñez on the label. More often than not, an Ordoñez pick lands a winner of uncommon wine goodness and value over many price points. Find this beauty at Palm Desert's LA Wine Company and Dan's Wine Shop for less than $15 a bottle.

The Closer: Smoking Loon 2008 Syrah

Thanks to all the Girlfriends who made last week's Wine Circle get-together such fun – with special thanks to Teri and ATEHO, her gorgeous place to shop for unique, tasteful gifts.

We closed out Spicy Reds with a quirky pick: Smoking Loon 2008 Syrah, a wine that weaves together the ripe berry fruit, pepper and spice that makes Syrah so seductive. I'd read about the wine on Tim Fish's blog for Wine Spectator in which Don Sebastiani, Jr., whose company produces Smoking Loon, made some strikingly candid remarks. Fish noted that his WS colleague James Laube gave the wine an 87 (which indicates a very good wine with "special qualities" in the Spectator's scoring system), leading Fish to ask what it takes to make a very good $8 bottle of wine.

So how does Sebastiani and Sons do it? In essence, they use a combination of science and shortcuts. The wine's color may get punched up by a tiny amount of the natural grape concentrate Mega Purple. How about some oak for toastiness, aging and tannin management? Smoking Loon gets the kiss of oak Syrah needs with oak staves rather than logging time in expensive, space-demanding barrels. OK, no surprises there but few winemakers are inclined to talk about those things, no less to a publication with the reach of Wine Spectator.

The science behind the Smoking Loon Syrah involves micro-oxygenation or "micro-ox," a technique that introduces small, controlled amounts of oxygen into the wine during fermentation or aging. Micro-ox can help soften tannins, weave together a wine's flavors or give winemakers more precise control over the wine's aging. You might liken it to using an aerator on a mega-scale.

Micro-ox has been around for a while. About five years after micro-ox was developed in 1991 by a scientist working with Tannat, an exceedingly tannic varietal, the European Commission allowed for its use in winemaking. You may remember it from the movie Mondovino (2004), in which influential globe-trotting enologist Michel Rolland suggests it to some winemaking clients. Today, micro-ox is used worldwide, from Bordeaux to Chile.

So that's how Smoking Loon was chosen as the closer. Beyond its sure-to-please flavors, it also fulfills an "interest quotient" for added instructional value worth sharing. Loon is tasty, varietally correct, inexpensive and locally available ($6.99 at Trader Joe's and even less at bigger box stores). It earned a respectable score – which carries weight whether we want to think so or not – and carried a good back-story. While my personal Syrah preferences lean to K Vintners, Rusack, Alban, Andrew Murray and Cayuse (if I can ever get my hands on it again), the TJ wine won out with a good story. Come to think of it, those other wines have some pretty remarkable stories too. Join us next time and we'll uncover some more.

Spicy Red: Gravity Hills Zinfandel

Wine #4 for this Wednesday is a spicy red from California's Central Coast: Gravity Hills 2006 Zinfandel. Nicknamed The Sherpa, this medium-bodied Zin has a kick of white pepper along with raspberry and blackberry fruit. Adding interest on the palate are savory baconfat and herbal flavors, perhaps with a touch of eucalyptus.

Sound inviting? How about finding it for only $8.99 at Dan's Wine Shop in Palm Desert? And it's a screwcap too, in case you want to take it with you while mountaineering this weekend per the crazy tasting notes on the winery's website.

We'd rather snap it open with pizza or pasta arrabbiata at home alongside a roaring fireplace. It's a sure pick for barbecue, chili that's not too fiery and sausage dishes.

Have you signed up yet? Don't get left out in the cold – go to the Events page at The Girlfriend Factor and get going! Girlfriend Teri's venue is alive with colors and textures from her hand-painted silk scarves and gorgeous wearable art accessories. It's going to be fantastic – see you there!

Aromatic Whites, Spicy Reds

At the next thoughtful tasting next week with The Girlfriend Factor, you'll learn to make sense of wine scents.

We found a wine that makes a great bridge between the first two aromatic whites and the last two spicy reds − Gewürztraminer, a white wine that's both aromatic and spicy. Grown in the cool climate of Sonoma's Russian River Valley, the 2009 Hook & Ladder is a tasty example of this versatile varietal.

A quick swirl releases aromas of ripe melon and tropical flower blossoms. On the palate, clean flavors of green apple, honeydew and a hint of lychee come to a spicy gingered finish.

Not to be confused with their sweeter late-harvest wine, Hook & Ladder's early harvest Gewurz is barely off-dry. It makes a terrific pairing with spicy and Asian fare, curries, simpler chicken and fish dishes (chutney or mango salsa, anyone?) or just some fresh fruit and cheese. Remember this one in summer for melon and prosciutto, too.

The winery takes its name from owner and winemaster Cecil De Loach's first career as a San Francisco fireman. For nearly thirty years before De Loach winery was sold in 2003, his Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Zinfandel wines brought worldwide attention to the Russian River Valley region. The district was designated an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1983 and the appellation's boundaries were expanded in 2005. Today, Cecil and the next generation of the De Loach family continue to develop that region's potential for top-flight viticulture in Sonoma's coastal fog belt.

Get with Gewurz for a refreshing change of pace or just the right wine complement to spicier or fruit-laced dishes. Sign up here to give this a swirl next week and learn more about this under-appreciated varietal. Find it for around $12 at Dan's Wine Shop in Palm Desert.

Valentine's Day Wines

Perhaps more than food, wine is the ultimate consumable Valentine's Day pleasure. For many, what makes wine the libation of lovers lies in the primal appeal of its aromas. Breathe in the bouquet of a worthy wine to experience wine at its most intoxicating, in the non-inebriated sense, that is.

Certain grapes and varietal wines are known for their distinctive aromatic allure. For some, it's the perfumed nose of light Moscato or the honeysuckle heaven of a full-bodied Viognier. Others may fall under the spell of Pinot Noir's cheerful cherries and roses or the blast of berries and spice that wafts up from a swirl of Syrah. Whatever your preference, the smell of wine is not only divine, but it's also what comprises much of what we taste and enjoy with every sip.  

These Valentine's Day picks are intensely aromatic wines. Both are sexy and delicious in completely different ways and each pairs beautifully with a variety of foods. Uncork at your own risk, and be prepared to give in to their charms.

Elio Perrone 2009 Sourgal Moscato d'Asti

Slightly sweet and refreshing on the tongue, this Italian Moscato is racy and delicious. At only 5% alcohol, it's light enough to enjoy as an aperitif or as a closer to your Valentine's dinner, either by itself or served with strawberries, berries, poached pears or a light puff-pastry dessert. Seductive aromas of orange blossoms, honeysuckle and sweet citrus set the mood for a mouthful of bright, fresh fruit rooted by a hint of sage and a bracing, lingering finish. Very sexy, and very Italian. Find it for under $15 at LA Wine Company.

Château Thivin 2009 Côte de Brouilly

This cru Beaujolais from a stellar vintage is bursting with scents and intrigue.  Admire the rich purplish-magenta color as you swirl, provided you can resist nose-diving into its layered floral and cherry-raspberry aromatics. Violets, roses and herbs weave their seductive way through a palette of herbed fruits and minerality juiced by food-friendly acidity. The earthy finish is kissed by sour cherry and smoke. Although this Gamay will surely get better with time, its heady, endless nose will have your head spinning before you take your first sip. A great wine for falling in love, again, now and later. About $20 at LA Wine Company.

Super Bowl Wines

We have pigskin picks to vinify your Super Sunday, but first a few food facts. Just two days after Go Red For Women, the American Heart Association's campaign to raise awareness about women and heart disease comes XLV, the super-snackdown day of the year. 

1,200

Incredibly, the amount of food Americans will tackle this Super Bowl Sunday may gut-bust Thanksgiving Day, the defending pig-out champion. The average fan is set to scarf 1,200 calories and 50 grams of fat from game day snacking alone – and that doesn't include any regular meals. Unless you plan to walk around a football field for three hours, no amount of fist-pumping and jump-up cheering is going to burn off those calories. Backfield in motion, baby, and bring out the tape. Or, as comedienne Elaine Boosler would say, why not just rub all that stuff right into your thighs?

Worse perhaps is that so many bowl day foods are close to awful. Can we get a holding foul here? Burgers, fried funkitude and chip-dip combos that scream out for an aspirin-nitro-statin garnish hardly seem worth the angina – or agita either, for the Italians out there. I mean, if you're gonna Hail Mary, doesn't a nice plate of lasagna or a juicy rib-eye off the grill sound more appealing than something that stinks of cilantro or singes your palate? Yuck.   

Bottom line is that many Super Bowl food flavors + wine = false start. Chili, thick dips and weighty or fried foods are hard hits for lighter reds and oaked Chardonnays. In the red zone, Cabernet tannins come across as too harsh when combined with super salty foods. Even bigger or bolder reds such as Syrah or Zinfandel can get crushed in the pileup by four-alarm barbecue sauces or hotly spiced wings. 

Unfortunately, there aren't many takers for the alt idea of super Sunday: flip on the crockpot in the morning and uncork a favorite bottle over a real meal during halftime break. No worries about delay of game or missing the halftime show – odds are it'll be as lame as ever. Bah humbug. So with a shrug to mega-snacking as the official play of the day, here are wine picks sure to score big with the gang:

Riesling

Riesling racks up huge yardage for how well it goes with a wide range of foods, especially spicy dishes, sausage, salads and smoked fish. Many Rieslings are low-alcohol too, to help keep guests safe and under-the-limit. Costco has a German Riesling now that's only 7.5%. Look for Dr L by Loosen Brothers in the tall, teal screw-cap bottle, around $10 at Dan's Wine Shop and Trader Joe's.

Box Wines

The space-saving eco-packaging by Octavin Home Wine Bar holds three liters, equal to four bottles of wine. With a convenient pour spout, these tasty, good quality wines will douse a couch-full of thirsty fans. Find them at Albertsons and Ralphs grocers, better still when they're on sale. Silver Birch Sauvignon Blanc is refreshing and balanced, without too much grassiness for game day foods. Kickoff reds worth a runback are the low-tannin Monthaven Cabernet Sauvignon (find the 2007 if you can) or Big House Red, sometimes also at Costco.

Rosé

If you think real men don't drink pink, food-friendly rosé will rock your manly man's playbook. Go with New World rosés made from heartier red grapes instead of more delicate French and Provençal rosé styles. Give it a good chill and watch for conversions. Try screw-capped Tapiz Rosé of Malbec from Argentina (BevMo!), Barnard Griffin Rosé of Sangiovese from Oregon or Mulderbosch Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa (World Market Cost Plus).

Finally, if your heart beats for healthier Super Bowl recipes, score with the roasted red pepper dip and others here, more recipes and substitution ideas here and funny but real food safety tips from Uncle Sam here.

Coming soon: Not-so-grouchy picks for a romantic Valentine's Day