Spring has been a long time coming this year. While Mother Nature graced us with a beautiful glimpse of picture-perfect weather in early April, the cold, wet weeks that followed left much to be desired. We are now happy to see the sun and feel its warmth, beckoning us outside. In a word (or more precisely two), it’s Picnic Season!
That means a lot of things, but chief among them is what wines to enjoy al fresco this spring and summer. In that regard, I recently had the very pleasant opportunity to taste through a selection of wines from Spanish wine producer, Hammeken Cellars. With Sailé Ramirez at the helm as CEO, the company has launched six new brands and planted over 250,000 trees as part of their sustainability program.
In fact, during that spring preview weekend in April, my husband and I had a picnic date night in Fort Tryon Park, toting along two rosés from their collection: Radio Boka Rosé and Sedosa Rosé.
Outside was no longer an option for a while, so the Radio Boka Verdejo was enjoyed indoors at the dining table, but the Gotas de Mar Albarino was a welcome companion as I introduced my friend, Sharon, to the joys of fancy picnics when we met up in Prospect Park for lunch and a production of Molière’s Tartuffe.
In keeping with the theme of freshness and al fresco dining, I’m including tasting notes from a recent seminar with Domaine Bousquet, since several of its current releases are also perfect picnic pairings, particularly, their sparkling rose and LO CA Chardonnay.
TASTING NOTES
WHITES
Radio Boka Verdejo 2021, VDT Castilla, Spain, $12.00
Aromas of bitter almond, pear, and citrus on both the nose and palate, this complex wine offers up medium body, medium acidity and long length.
Gotas de Mar Albariño 2022, Rias Baixas, Spain, $25.00
Produced from 100% Albariño from 15-25 year old vines, this wine was aged for six months on its lees. Notes of citrus and riper tree fruit are joined by minerality and salinity, with medium body, good acidity and long length.
Domaine Bousquet LO CA Chardonnay 2022, Uco Valley, Argentina, $14.00
LO CA is a local calorie and low alcohol wine, which required numerous attempts to get it right due to ensure a wine that was stable and of the quality they desired. The resulting wine has 9% abv and 2% residual sugar. Green apple, musk and citrus greet the nose and persist on the palate with high acidity, minerality, medium body and long length.
ROSÉS
2021 Radio Boka Rosé, VDT Castilla, Spain, $12.00
Tasted alongside the Sedosa rosé, this wine was less ripe, with slightly higher acidity. It is redolent of fresh raspberries and citrus, with medium body and long length.
Sedosa Organic Rosé 2021, VDT Castilla, Spain, $20.00
Comprised of 100% Bobal from 15 year old vines, this wine is pale salmon in color with aromas of berries, and melon and a hint of floral. The dry palate provides ripe fresh berries, good acidity and long length.
Domaine Bousquet Sparkling Rose NV, Uco Valley, Argentina, $13.00
This sparkling wine is produced using the Charmat Method, bringing together 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay. Deep salmon in color, with a persistent bead, it is fresh and lively with tart cherry notes, a lovely mousse and long length.
