A rose can be red or white or yellow or pink.

 On and on and on.  

There are many variations on the theme.  

In a similar manner,

a rosé doesn’t have a single look or taste.

Rosés come in a wide spectrum

of shades and flavors.  

Everything depends

on the type of grape used to make the rosé

and the method used by the winemaker

to turn that grape into wine.

It’s this variety and versatility

that makes rosé

an ideal all-occasion wine for the holidays.

It’s Wine Thursday!,

our weekly good-wine-at-a-good-price

that-you-can-find recommendation.  

This week, we break with tradition

by recommending two wines…

two rosés…

one for your holiday party

and another for your special holiday meal.

For the meal,

Elk Cove 2018 rosé of pinot noir.

 When the conversation gets around

to wine that pairs well with food,

rosé is vastly underrated…

as long as the rosé isn’t too sweet.

 Elk Cove’s rosé is savory-tart,

full of flavor and definitely dry.

 It would go quite well with a holiday ham.

 We found Elk Cove 2018 rosé of pinot noir

at New Seasons and Fred Meyer for $13.99,

and at Whole Foods for $14.99

or you can go straight to the source…

Elk Cove…where it’s $18. 

https://elkcove.com/our-wines/pinot-noir-rose-willamette-valley/2018-rose/

For the party,

Willamette Valley Vineyards

2018 whole cluster

rosé of pinot noir.  

It’s the same grape

but it’s processed differently.

 Willamette Valley’s version

is fruity…almost juicy. 

The consensus of our tasting team

was that it was “slightly sweet”

but would definitely be

a “crowd pleaser”. 

Your party people will quaff this one. 

And I doubt anyone will complain. 

We found Willamette Valley’s

whole cluster rosé

at Costco for $11.99,

at Whole Foods for  $14.99,

at Safeway and QFC for $15.99

and at Fred Meyer for $16.79.