La Belle Petite Poulette Grenache Rosé 2010 I love writing about Rosé wines. They are making such a comeback from days of yesteryear, and I am thrilled about all the good ones being made locally.
And one of these is Trout Gulch Vineyards’ Grenache Rosé ($18), a beautiful salmon-pink wine made with grapes sourced from Pierce Ranch in Monterey County. La Belle Petite Poulette translates to “pretty little chicken”—French slang meaning “chick”—a saucy apropos name for this fresh little Rosé.
Meeting up with a friend for dinner at Zameen Mediterranean Cuisine, I take along a bottle of this wine, which pairs well with many kinds of food. Our smiling server opens up the chilled Rosé—an easy task since it has a screw cap—and we take a sip. The mouth fills with layers of citrus, strawberries, raspberries and cranberries—a dense fruity burst of flavor with just the right amount of acidity.
Zameen’s menu has a strong Persian influence, but most of the food is not overly spicy. The flavoring comes from herbs, spices and special seasoning that truly bring out the flavor of the chicken, lamb and beef dishes. Although I’m not a vegetarian, I really love Zameen’s falafel, so I nearly always get that. As a starter, my friend orders her favorite sweet potato fries, which are unbelievably delicious, and the two of us plow through the huge order. We also get through most of the wine.
Gerry Turgeon runs the Trout Gulch Vineyards business, which was started in the 1980s by his father, Bernard—a co-founder of the well-known J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines in Monterey. You will find Turgeon all over town pouring his wines at various events, and regularly at Barry Jackson’s Equinox Wines tasting room on Swift Street—where he will be happy to pour you some of his elixirs.
Trout Gulch Vineyards, 427-C Swift St., Santa Cruz (shared with Equinox Wines), 471-2705. Troutgulchvineyards.com. Gerry Turgeon is not at the tasting room every weekend, so check his website for more information. Turgeon will be pouring at the Swift Street tasting room for the Santa Cruz Mountains Winegrowers Association Spring Passport event on Saturday, April 21 from noon to 5 p.m. Trout Gulch wines will also be featured at the Dare to Pair food and wine-pairing event with Cabrillo College students of the Culinary Arts program, April 29.
Wine Events:
Do not miss the Home, Garden, Culinary & Wine Expo coming up this weekend. This is the first time that food and wine will be featured at the event, and it promises to be fun for all. The expo takes place on March 24 & 25 at the Cocoanut Grove from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
