It doesn’t happen too often and definitely less than most people might imagine but I don’t typically drink much wine recreationally at home…alone. It can be a dangerous habit to get into and raised as a thrifty New Englander I’m resistant to open a bottle if I’d have to take a few sips and throw it out or use it for cooking. I can’t drink all the wine I’m given, swallow it and still write coherently. That being said I do attract wine loving friends who will trade a dinner or lunch for a glass or two of whatever bottle I opened earlier or will open with what they’re cooking. Yet, I often cook for myself. I did work as a cook in at least five restaurants by my recollection and once in a while I will pop a cork at home because someone gave me a bottle and there’s no expectation from a winery I have to write about it which is the most joyful circumstance for me. Of course, sometimes I can’t help myself and this is one such occasion.
I was home making or rather perfecting my spicy chicken wing recipe which currently involves salt, extra virgin olive oil, curry powder, white pepper, garlic powder and hot paprika (hmmn maybe i should mix in some sweet paprika for a change to balance the heat). I had a few Gewurztraminer’s around but what caught my eye in my fridge (which with all the wine and mixers resembles a hotel fridge with an honor bar more than a family’s fridge) was a bottle of NV Carmel Selected Extra-Dry Rosé. At about NIS 35 (probably less in Israel this time of year pre-Passover) I figured it wasn’t the kind of wine I’d bring to someone else’s house since people have higher expectations from me than the average Joe or Dave as the case might be.
So in the privacy of my own studio apartment/wine cellar, I uncaged the cork and popped it careful not to point it at me or anything breakable. After all, sparkling wines are known by wine insiders to be one of the most food friendly styles of wine. They match well with both salty, spicy hot dishes and even more acidic tangy fare…what I like best typically at home or eating out. If I wanted to eat subtle or mundane fare I would have moved to Florida with my mother 30 years ago. So I found my champagne flutes after some digging through over 100 assorted glasses (or crystal stemware to be more precise). One reason I’m skeptical of wine scores is typically they’re written tasting the wine by itself. To me that’s insane though I often do it too out of necessity. I couldn’t eat all the food it would require to taste the perfect pairing with each wine yet I do try when I can. In Europe wine is seen by many as 1/2 the equation of any meal. Wine is incomplete without food and food without wine so serving one without the other is an injustice to what’s in front of you. So New World (higher alcohol fruitier more robust) wines often score better in competitions than more food friendly Old World (lower alcohol more nuanced earthier) wines and bubbly. I’ve tried scoring bubbly with and without food and I hope I never have to score it without food again. Barbaric!!! But alas I am resigned to the nature of the beast.
I poured a flute full of pink bubbling Carmel and was very pleasantly surprised. Granted at first it wasn’t a great bubbly that would win many awards or a wine I might drink on its own like an Italian Rosa Regale yet it was a great match for my dining experience. The 18 grams/liter of sugar which make it extra-dry for a sparkling wine (one grade sweeter than brut) would rate semi-sweet as a still wine and the combination of low alcohol (10.5%) and the fruity notes of raspberries, tart strawberries, red plums and red grapefruit and crisp red apples stemming from the Merlot & Colombard grapes in this tank fermented sparkly were all I needed to enhance my dinner to the next level (not the highest level but the next level). I’d give it an 87 with food and an 84 without so I’d guess it deserves a 86 points on this occasion.
There are few if any sparkling rosés in Israel to compare it to (though a 2007 Yarden is pending which I tasted in vitro two years ago and expect 90 plus) so lets go with an 86 with the hope more Israeli wineries bring a sparkling rosé to the market since there are many Israeli dishes (and diners) that would benefit from a similar if not better made sparkling rosé wine.
