April | 2021 | Sip Tripper

From Promising Young Woman to Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, here are 5 picks to sip while watching the Academy Awards. If wine could win an Oscar, all of these would be winners:

Promising Young Woman

Elouan Wines 2020 Rosé ($19.99) – Strawberries and roses on the nose of this light and simple salmon Rosé of Oregon could be considered a revenge wine, one that Carey Mulligan as a Promising Young Woman would sip. On the palate, a retaliation of strawberry surge mingles in a mix of ripened raspberries that prompted me to grab a container of berries to enjoy later.

Spearheading an environmentally conscious effort, Elouan Wines is a partner of Trees for the Future, and through the “Enjoy a Bottle, Plant a Tree” initiative, Elouan and Trees for the Future have planted more than half a million trees together.With every bottle or glass of Elouan Wines sold through May 31, a tree will be planted through Trees for the Future’s program with farmers across the globe.

The Father

Chêne Bleu 2015 Aliot ($54) Although it’s promoted as a medium-bodied white, I’d say this is a full-bodied white with a bite even Anthony Hopkins would enjoy. This Chêne Bleu Alio is more of a shoulder season white with a blend of Roussane, White Grenache, and Marsanne, and aged in old and new French oak barrels for 8 months.

It’s as powerful as the acting career of Anthony Hopkins, beginning with its bouquet of simmered peaches and roasted almonds that lead to a big finish of dried apricot and pineapple on the palate. The pairing suggestions for this wine seem about right: salmon, game, poultry, rabbit, pate and hard cheeses. I enjoyed with rotisserie chicken and vegetables. This wine is a keeper and can lay down for 5-6 years.

One Night in Miami

Malene 2020 Rosé ($22) leads the charge as the workhorse of Malene wines. I discovered the Malene magical rosé last summer, on a hotter-than-Miami day in California. Refreshing and vibrant, the 2020 central coast California vintage of pink drips strawberry, which isn’t exactly what I tasted last year. My palate preferred the peony, white grapefruit, peachiness of the 2019, so if you can scoop up any 2019 bottles, I highly recommend! The 2020 is lovely, too, but is more strawberry forward, so if you like this, by all means, enjoy!

I can imagine Director Regina King sipping on this crisp rosé during the filming of this Oscar-nominated film. The struggle is real in the film and for this 2020 vintage that created new meaning for the term “dry” January. There was no significant rainfall until March, and added to this historic year were wildfires, which led to some grapes with smoke taint – and ultimately dropped from the vines. The best grapes were saved to make this rose-gold expressive and exotic rosé. Kudos to the winemaker, New Zealand native Fintan du Fresne (Fin), whose passion to make rosé started during time spent with many of the great rosé houses of Provence, this rosé exudes the ideal French-style with lovely California Coast influences.

Mank

Like watching the incredible film, Mank, 2020 wasn’t a complete bust, especially when you factor in a bottle of Reserva Casillero del Diablo Rosé ($11.99). Crafted from French varietals, this medium-bodied Chilean rosé begins with a bouquet of crisp and cool raspberries. On the palate it’s a burst of fresh-picked strawberries with a bit of spice in the finish – perfect to pair with a summer salad. Care to take it up a notch to a Mank level of a spirited, boozy treat? Check out this recipe for Frozé del Diablo Popsicles.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Böen 2019 Pinot Noir ($24.99) Ba-da-bing! Cherries, that is. And Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom dresses she wore to cover her bodacious figure reminds me of this big, Burgundian-style wine – personality, plus! Like Ma Rainey, this pinot noir is a bit gravelly, but refined, and Böen draws its profile from the varied coastal winegrowing areas of California’s most sought-after cool-climate appellations. Pinot Noir must be harvested early and during optimal growing conditions. Temperamental as these grapes are, this vintage packs a wallop of ripe Bing cherry, cocoa and red blackberry (marionberry) with a rich and balanced palate and a bright acidity that leads into a long, smooth finish Ma Rainey would surely enjoy.

Charlene Peters is living the life of a nomad and shares tales of luxury travel, food, wine and wellness. She is also the author of Travel Makes Me Hungry: Tales of tastes and indigenous recipes to share.

Australia’s first grapevines were planted in 1788 in Farm Cove, today’s Sydney Botanical Gardens. This was pre-phylloxera (late 19th century), and because Australia vineyards weren’t affected by the deadly louse that wiped out vineyards around the world’s premier wine regions (Chile, the country of Georgia, and the Mosel region of Germany weren’t affected, either), the wines are considered Old World.

In a virtual tasting hosted by San Francisco Wine School, with special guests from Australia that included famed Aussie winemaker, Corrina Wright, and winemaker Dean Hewitson, thanks to AustralianWineDiscovered.com, 11 wines were tasted by over 100 virtual guests, including myself. Over 1,500 mini bottles were shipped to approximately a dozen states. I happily share my top 5 favorites:

#1 – During my last visit to McLaren Vale and the Barossa Valley, I fell in love with the grenache wines of these regions. True to form, my absolute favorite sip during this virtual evening was the 2016 Edgar Schild “Reserve” Grenache, Barossa Valley ($26). The family behind the winery is a story you’ll want to follow online. This old vine was planted in 1916 and reflects a warmer vintage that works for me! The wine aged for over a year in new and old French barrels and presents as dark ruby with opulent dark and red fruit notes leading to slight tannin structure of the same berries on the palate.

#2 – One of my favorite white varietals is semillon, and the 2019 Tyrrell’s Semillon, Hunter Valley ($27) was truly exceptional. Grown in sandy loam soils and a short time on lees before bottling, this minerally-forward wine is a delicious and perfect representation of semillon. Aromas of cut grass and lemon lead the way to a palate with… wait, was that dried ginger on the finish? Amazing.

#3 – OK, so I’m partial to semillon Down Under, apparently. And this one was even better than the last. The 2018 David Franz “Long Gully” Semillon, Barossa Valley ($29), is a showstopper. The grapes hail from ancient vines (134 year’s old!) dry grown in sandy loam. This bright straw-colored wine exhibited a weighty, rich mouthfeel and was so wonderfully greeted on my palate – as refreshing as a perfectly made lemon meringue pie.

#4 – It would be blasphemous to leave out a Shiraz recommendation. Thankfully, there was one crimson selection I enjoyed, right down to the finish with notes of sage and allspice. This was a 2017 Langmeil “Orphan Bank” Shiraz, Barossa Valley ($65). The name “orphan” is due to the vine’s history, as explained on the Langmeil website: “Ten rows of Shiraz planted pre-1860 were saved from the developer’s bulldozer and replanted alongside the original Langmeil vineyard on the banks of the North Para River. We called these ten rows the “Orphans”, but after 150 years they have a new home.” Drink this wine and you’re tasting history.

#5 – Blended wines can be tricky, but this 2015 John Duval “Plexus” Shiraz-Grenache-Mourvedre, Barossa Valley ($80) was poured from a magnum and delighted my senses as the final pour of the tasting. It was a textbook red blend of the old days, exhibiting the full spectrum of bright red licorice to dark berries and plum on the palate, finishing with baking spices.

Email help@sfwineschool.com to inquire on how to order any of the wines listed above.

Charlene Peters, a.k.a. Sip Tripper, enjoys sharing wine reviews and her discovery of wine destinations. Sign up for her e-newsletter on www.spavalous.com and receive travel inspiration, wine recommendations, and more tips related to travel, food, wine, and wellness. Be sure to order a copy of her book, “Travel Makes Me Hungry: Tales of tastes & indigenous recipes to share” available on Amazon.