What a sommelier

Saturday night, Liz and I took another couple out to one of the best dinners I've ever had. One thing I worried about was the fact that Mark does not drink anything but wines on the sweeter side. At the table, I mentioned this to the sommelier and he asked Dave what he liked - Dave said blush wines. Well, I happen to know that there are no blush wines on the wine list but the sommelier said he'd put something together. Soon thereafter, he brought Mark a beautiful-looking glass of a blush wine! I was floored. Dave loved it and even offered me a taste - it was not bad: sweet but balanced with great flavor and a long finish. When I caught up with the sommelier sometime later, I asked what he'd done. He said he took a good Gruner Veltliner, added a pinch of Sweet and Low and a few drops of beet juice. (Liz, Cindy and I had a nice PN.)
In my experience, this was the first time "put something together" was really what the sommelier did.

great story. Kudos to the sommelier for looking for a way to solve a problem rather than just saying no can do.

I'm a little surprised he didn't suggest a fruity rose' or don't they have any of those on the winelist either.

I don't recall any rose on the list, JC. As I think about it, I'm sure he was sticking to already-opened wines that were on the by-the-glass wine list. BTW - The PN Liz and I had was Dominio IV from the Willamette Valley.

[Robin Garr]

I'm a little surprised he didn't suggest a fruity rose' or don't they have any of those on the winelist either.

Without meaning any disrespect to folks who like blush and only blush, my experience is that a fruity rosé won't appeal to them at all. Fruity or not, that dry and acidic flavor profile incorporates everything that they haven't learned to like about wine.

I agree , the white zin drinkers don't seem to make a natural transition to dry rose. If I was the sommelier, I would have been less inventive and tried an off-dry Riesling or Chenin. But this was brilliant!
On the flip side, at a party last year I was manning the grill when someone said "hey, you like rose, try this" and I took the glass and then a swig of Barefoot White Zin. Apparently dry rose drinkers don't transition to blush well, either.

Alas, the days of decent inexpensive dry Californian rose seem to be long gone.

We used to buy Bel Arbres (Fetzer) white Zin by the case (guess I just blew any cred I have as a serious wine type) but Fetzer used to make soem fairly serious red Zins, a focus of my interest back then, and they started shipping this second label white Zin into BC at a price so low it was ridiculous.

Someone handed me a glass (I doubt I'd have tried it on my own) and to my amazement it was dry and crisp and delightful for summer drinking. We went through about 5 cases over that summer - untill all of a sudden, the wine transformed into off dry plonk and the rest of that case got returned to the store.

I haven't had the heart to dip my toe back into US rose since, although I see that we do get a bunch of them here - Woodbridge (he saidm shuddering, wondering how much oak they could get into a pink wine), Fetzer Syrah (might have to try that one), Beringer, Sutter Home....

Anyone know of a good dry Californian Rose? We are reeling from sticker shock around here for most of the French Roses I usually like - when we can get them.

And I agree that the sommelier was inventive and gave the customer what they wanted, which was an off dry pink wine!

Anyone know of a good dry Californian Rose? We are reeling from sticker shock around here for most of the French Roses I usually like - when we can get them.

Benovia and Inman Family Wines both make really nice rosé from Pinot in the Russian River Valley. Edmunds St. John's Gamay rosé is also delicious. Benovia's is $18 from the winery, don't recollect the price of the others but they're in the range of $20 or less.

Thanks Salil - will keep those in mind whenever I venture down below the border.

But why Sweet and Low I wonder - rather than sugar? Am I missing something obvious?

The only problem I have with this story is I don't see the need to contaminate the wine with other flavoring and coloring products. When I am faced with this situation (yes, more than once) I just blend a little Port or PX into whatever white wine I am serving, and this always seems to be received well. I liken this more to adding dosage to Champagne than chemistry, at least.

But why Sweet and Low I wonder - rather than sugar? Am I missing something obvious?

I wondered that too, but assumed it is because SnL dissolves better in cold liquid than sugar.

[David M. Bueker]

Bill,

The Pali Rose is very nice. I actually picked up a bunch of half bottles which was great for summer sipping.

Rats - another one we never see here, but thanks David.

But why Sweet and Low I wonder - rather than sugar? Am I missing something obvious?

I wondered that too, but assumed it is because SnL dissolves better in cold liquid than sugar.

I think so too. It melts in cold ice tea so wine shoudl not be a problem.

The only problem I have with this story is I don't see the need to contaminate the wine with other flavoring and coloring products. When I am faced with this situation (yes, more than once) I just blend a little Port or PX into whatever white wine I am serving, and this always seems to be received well. I liken this more to adding dosage to Champagne than chemistry, at least.

I agree with SteveG on this one, but the sommelier was inventive.

Great story and great service.

I recall a story from years ago, it's never left my mind. Growing up in England, we had close friends who were powerful Trade Unionists. One year - as in deed in many years - the TUC annual conference was held in Blackpool. This is the 1970s, and the majority of hotels, other than the kind of truly 5-star country hotels of which the TUC were meant to be philosophically opposed due to various class struggles, were probably still on a par with Fawlty Towers. Our family friend asked for a glass of rosé and was brought back something that tasted thoroughly revolting. When she enquired what on earth she was drinking, the waiter (I would hesitated to use the word sommelier in this context!) told her that he didn't have any rosé wine in stock so he had mixed some red with some white.

I would have considered this one apocryphal if my mother had told me it but I still remember the family friend recounting the story with understandable shock! horror!

Tony

Another really good story, Tony! I'm afraid it still happens, too.

I hate to be a contrarian, but this was no "sommelier"; this was a mixologist, a bartender!

The sweet, blush-loving customer would have absolutely loved a young Rosenmuskateller (Moscato Rosa) from Alto Adige.