Summertime Pink And Blues...

It's a beautiful sunny Saturday. Football games are all over the television. Looking outside I see a few leaves turning color. I should be happy but I'm not. All these things only tell me one thing--Summer is about over. Changing over to thoughts of Summer, nothing screams Summer more than a cool glass of Rosé while I lounge on the patio.

I had a hard time finding a good Rosé this year. Especially here in the Midwest where the handcrafted, small-production wines I crave are few and far between. One trip to a local grocery store sparked what I call the "Rosé Debacle." I asked the liquor dept. manager to point me in the right direction. I just wasn't seeing any. He pointed me to a wall of White Zinfandel. When I said "Too sweet", he argued that Rosé was sweet. So much for education, huh? I wanted better than that. I just needed to start hunting. Anyway, I went into a friend's wine shop recently and he suggested I try a new wine he was carrying. It was a Rosé. Bingo!!! I think I hit the jackpot.



2008 Lioco Sonoma Coast Rosé of Pinot Noir. I'd never heard of this brand before so I did a little research. Lioco is a combination of the founders' two names: Matt Licklider and Kevin O'Connor. Seasoned wine biz veterans, they decided to start making wines that are handcrafted, natural with little or no manipulation and always deliver more for your money. These days money is tight, so you have to be more choosy. It seems this wine was very true to its description so if all the wines in their portfolio are that way, they'd be an excellent choice, in my opinion. So good, so far...

"Refreshingly unique" is a good description of this wine. A beautiful hue of dark pink with an appealing aroma of cherries and watermelon. Reminded me of hard candy like Jolly Ranchers. Very fruity flavors of rhubarb and strawberry. Dry(13.0% alcohol), with fruit that keeps lingering, a virtual cornucopia... Beautiful. Price? A whopping $15 or so.

I checked out their website and realized they make quite a bit! I'll continue my hunt and seek out some of their other wines as well. I believe Matt and Kevin are really on to something. They've embraced their project and given it 200%. Their website, www.liocowine.com, has an online store and a list of distributors/wine shops nationwide that carry their wines. I hope you'll go and seek out a bottle and experience it. I plan on it again soon, but until then I will wallow in my post-Pinot depression until next Summer or until my next great wine discovery comes along. Now I need to run and check the football score...