*** I received this wine as a sample***

Passover ended last Monday night, just as the hot weather in DC began.  As the weather gets hotter, there are two things that happen—all dinners in the “A Glass After Work” household rely on the George Foreman grill and Hubby & I disagree about whether it is hot enough to turn on the air conditioning.  While the George Foreman is a poor replacement to actual grilling, living in 757 sq ft of condo provides few other options, particularly as the fire marshal just told the building that having grills on the roof deck is a fire code violation.  So, grilled chicken on the GF is the dinner of choice, and it was definitely the easy dinner option after work on Monday.  As for the AC, Monday was just the start of the heat wave, so neither Hubby nor I were quite ready to cave and turn on the air conditioning; however, it was the start of the weeklong discussion.  Instead, we agreed to open the windows, turn on our ceiling fan, and rely on cold beverages to help keep us cool.  My choice was a Spanish Rosé.

The 2008 Tapeña Rosé (winery, snooth) was made with 55% Monastrall, 40% Garnacha, and 5% Shiraz grapes.  On the nose, there were grapefruits, raspberries, strawberries, and a hint of white pepper and fresh herbs.  In the mouth, there were sour cherries, pink grapefruits, tart raspberries, strawberries, thyme, and a touch of something funky on the finish that I couldn’t quite place.  The wine had a lime-like acid and a light body.

Is this worth a glass after work? Sure…you won’t be drinking anything out of the ordinary, but you’ll have a decent, reliable glass of wine. At a suggested retail price of $10, this wine isn’t very complex, but offers a food-friendly summer option.  The herb flavors in the wine mixed nicely with the spices I used for the chicken, providing a refreshing backdrop to the dinner.  After dinner, it was a good wine to settle into watching the latest episode of Castle and trying to stay cool.

Overall: 3 Corks