The Wine Idiot Reviews: Carayon La Rose, 2014 ($4.99)
Full disclosure: I love rosé. Seriously, one of the great joys of my life is a glass of crisp, not-too-sweet rosé sipped as the sun sets on a summer day. Bonus points if I'm at the Hollywood Bowl.
I'm aware, however, that rosé is not everyone's cup of slightly-alcoholic tea, which is why it's taken me so long to get around to reviewing one. That and I actually haven't found one at Trader Joe's that I absolutely LOVE. But I decided it was finally time.
Lacking any sort of direction (I was shopping at 6pm on a Friday so there weren't a lot of extra employees just waiting around the wine area to help me), I had to pick at random. I opted for a $5 bottle that proudly advertised itself to be from the "SOUTH OF FRANCE." Can't be bad, right?
Well, it's not a diamond in the rough, but it's a tasty cheap rosé and I'd probably buy it again. It smells light and crisp, and it's not overly sweet. Not that I have anything against sweet wine!! But a saccharine rosé doesn't pair as well with twilight, in my mind.
This is tangy--it's got a little sourness that kicks me in the back of my throat a little, but it's not overwhelming. After I got used to it (maybe 3 sips?), it went down smooth. Flavor-wise? I wrote down one word: strawberry. Granted, I have a limited vocabulary when it comes to wine, but I don't think this did a whole lot of flavor-morphing. It just tasted like strawberries--tangy, pleasant, not too sweet. And it is INCREDIBLY tasty with cheese and crackers.
Bottom line, this is a fabulous cheap summer wine. I'd definitely pick up a bottle on my way to the Hollywood Bowl.
What the bottle says: "With this Rosé Wine [sic], your imagination will travel to the sunny little roads of hills villages surrounded by South France floral smells. It is a very round and pleasant wine, full of small red fruit aromas. Crisp and fresh on the palate. Ideal as an aperitif with any food shared with friends."
What the Wine Idiot says: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA OH MY GOD THIS IS MY FAVORITE LABEL DESCRIPTION EVER. Do you think the broken English was on purpose?! I don't even remember reading this label in TJ's. This is hilarious. Oh wow. "Small red fruit aromas." "Sunny little roads of hills villages surrounded by South France floral smells." I am DYING right now. This is either super-authentic wine or the brainchild of a wine marketing GENIUS.
ABV: 13% (now I remember why I bought this--most rosé doesn't break 12%)
Who's responsible for this? Are you ready for this? "Bottled by GCF at F-33720 Landiras - France. Imported by Advantage International Distributors Inc. - Miami, FL"
Do I need a corkscrew? You do not!!! Another reason why this is the perfect Hollywood Bowl wine.
What do smarter people say about it? Foodwineclick says: "for $6, a killer deal on a very nice rosé. Bone dry, super crisp with nice fruit." And user WINESHAMAN on CellarTracker would like to add: "This is A very nice summer rose more salmon colored than rose, simple tart raspberry, tart strawberry, hints of peach and orange zest.. Very crisp, refreshing and most importantly for me dry, great QPR!"
Should I bring it to a friend's house? If you're meeting there on your way to the Hollywood Bowl. And you should absolutely have your friends read the the back of the bottle out loud. Maybe after a couple glasses.
