Eugene weekly., August 30, 2007, Page 29, Image 29

Tim loves this wine so much he offers a
$3 discount for anyone mentioning this
article when asking for the wine.
“This is a blend, with a nice meaty
taste, a great barbecue wine. It’s aged in
Hungarian oak, which is a special taste,
nutty, chocolatey, with some cola. Enjoy it
while it lasts!”
RYAN DAWE-STOTZ
Second stop: Marché Provisions,
where Ryan Dawe-Stotz is the cheese,
wine and charcuterie buyer. We had a
hard time ending a discussion of local
cheese to get down to the wine, but even-
tually, it had to happen. Ryan was rela-
tively restrained in his recommendations,
holding to one each for red and white.
White:
Aliança 2006 Vinho Verde. $9.
“This is a young wine, a white that’s
lower in alcohol. It’s slightly carbonated
with a little tiny spritz.
“It’s from the Alvarinho grape, the
same as the Spanish Alvarino, one of the
most versatile white wine grapes with
food. It’s perfect for a fresh dinner, some
vegetables, a little light snacking. The yel-
low tomatoes we’re seeing right now and
the great goat cheeses from around here
are good with it, and so is light fish. It has
depth from the fruit and can stand up to
anything. It’s bone dry and so good.”
Red:
Le Pas de la Beaume 2006 Côtes du
Rhône. $11.
“This is a simple little Côtes du Rhône.
When Rhônes started getting the spotlight
about eight or nine years ago, they started
trying to taste more American — juicier,
heavy, jammy, concentrated.
“This one, though, it tastes like a
Côtes du Rhône used to: light texture,
full of fruit but not cloying. There’s
enough acid to balance it, making it live-
ly, exuberant and fun. It’s not going to
overwhelm food, but there’s enough sub-
stance to handle grilled food. It’s also
good enough to drink on its own. It
works as a cocktail wine.
“The bottle says the ideal temperature
is 16 degrees Celsius, and you’ll taste more
of it if it’s at 55-60 degrees Fahrenheit.”
two apiece, but he didn’t recommend any
reds, so we let him chat for a while.
Rosés: Mario likes rosés for the sum-
mer. “We have a lot of rosés, probably
about 35 different varieties. Most are
European with a good sampling of
Oregon wines. Many people associate
rosés with white zinfandel, which, as my
nephew says, is like drinking a candy bar.
We don’t carry white zinfandel.”
But he does carry and recommend
many French rosés; these three are from
the Languedoc and Provence. He says,
“Lately, I’ve really been enjoying rosés
from Provence. They make good rosés,
MARIO RAMOS
Finally, we hit Sundance Wine Cellars,
where Mario Ramos pours at Friday
night tastings. Mario couldn’t even hold to
and a lot of them have a unique character.
“Rosés are designed to go with food.
That’s how it works in France; they’re part
of the meal. Sometimes you have to hang
out with a wine for a while to be able to
appreciate it.”
Château de Nages 2006 Reserve.
$15.95 (on sale for $14.95 right now).
“This Languedoc rosé is 70 percent
grenache and 30 percent syrah, so it has
an earthy style”
Domaine de Fontsainte Gris de Gris.
$13.95.
“This is a Languedoc rosé, a grenache-
based rosé. Personally, I think that’s what
a rosé should be.”
Commanderie de la Bargemone Rouge
$12.50
Whites:
“These are really clean, truly dry,
Mediterranean whites. They may have
good fruit or be fruit forward, but they’re
not going to be sweet. The French
Provence wines, you don’t see a lot of
them in the States because they all get
consumed by the tourists in France, but
they do pop up once in a while.”
Clos Val Bruyère 2004 Cassis. $17.95
“The grapes in Cassis are marsanne
and clariette; some are ugni blanc. These
are nice white Rhône varietals.”
Coteau Vanois 2005 Château Miravel.
$15.95.
“This is from the rolle varietal.”
Argiolas Costamolino. $13.95 (on sale
for $12.50 right now).
“This one is from Sardenia — I go
beyond France! It’s made from the ver-
mentino grape.”
❖
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