Winebits 433: Rose, cheap wine, direct shipping
by Wine Curmudgeon Posted On
• Important rose advice: Dave McIntyre at the Washington Post, a long-time pal of the blog who was drinking rose when the hipsters thought Zima was cool, offers some rose wisdom and five roses to try, all of which is much appreciated: “After all, there are delicious pink wines made all around the world” he writes. “Pour a rosé you like, shed the cares of the day and consider your true priorities under the setting sun.” Is it any wonder Dave and I get along so well?
• Cheap wine wisdom: The VinePair website, which usually offers practical wine advice, is mostly on track with this effort about how to buy cheap wine. Much of it will be familiar to the blog’s regular visitors, including the admonition to look for wine from less expensive places. I was a little confused, though, by the part about avoiding closeout bins, not because it’s wrong but because of the reason: “These are the wines a shop can’t sell, and that often means there was no one at the shop who was passionate enough to sell them.” Which isn’t always true; I’m more concerned with the age of closeout wines, because if they’re too old, it doesn’t matter who liked them. The wines will have faded and not taste like anything.
• Arizona allows direct shipping: You can now buy wine directly from wineries in Arizona, the 42nd state to allow the practice. That’s the good news. This is an informative piece from our friends at the Wine Spectator, complete with informative map. The bad news is that winery to consumer shipping, and not retail to consumer shipping. The latter is still illegal in many states and often incredibly difficult when it is legal. One other note: Two of the eight states that don’t allow winery shipping are Utah and Pennsylvania, about as odd bedfellows as one can have.
FYI, the link to McIntyre’s rose recommendations is broken. (I get to see it in the actual newspaper, so…) Thanks!
Thanks for this, George. The Post links always give me trouble. It’s fixed.