On Bon Appétit: A LOT

Bon Appétit has been keeping me so busy I forgot to tell you about all the shit I've been busy writing! So put down that beach read, because you have a lot to catch up on.

9 Situations in Which It Is Totally Fine to Put Ice in Your Wine

Why You Should Serve Magnums at Your Next Party

Where Do You Stand in the Boxed vs Canned Wine Debate?

The Wine You Should Be Drinking Instead of Rosé This Summer

Crucial Wine Pairings for Whatever BBQ You’re Making

9 Wines That Get Better with Age and Make the Perfect Wedding Gift

Alloy Wine Works' Grenache Rosé

UPDATE: NOW AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE HERE! 

These are the only things I know about Allloy Wine Works' grenache rosé:

1. It showed up this morning in a box from Field Recordings
2. It is handpicked
3. It is cellared & packaged by Field Recordings
WHO CARES
5. IT'S DELICIOUS

I haven't had a chance to cover Field Recordings on the blog because I tend to drink all the wine with my fiancé before I can sit down and write about it, but Field Recordings is one of my favorite California wines. It's hard for me to have a dinner without a cab franc or chenin blanc of theirs. They also make Fiction canned wine, which is the first canned red wine I've ever fully endorsed.  Basically, I trust winemaker Andrew Jones' with my gut and soul.

When I first opened it, I wasn't quite sure, but after getting it to optimal temperature, I am extremely happy with this wine. 

Do you remember the first Tennis album? Cape Dory? That's what this wine tastes like. Like pink dreamy clouds languidly drifting upon a cornflower blue horizon, white sails lightly billowing in the breeze while sandy feet dance drunkenly off-beat on a wet deck. It's so fun, and gritty. Like you're gross. You're a disgusting human covered in sweat, humidity and sunscreen. And it's the best. The boat may never leave the dock but it doesn't matter, because your dirty little feet are moving and the only thing you can think about is looking into your dance partner's eyes for all of eternity. Does he even know how to sail? WHO CARES. I HOPE HE DOESN'T AND IT'S AN ADVENTURE FOREVER!

It's so youthfully romantic that you don't even realize you've had sand in your bikini bottoms for the last eight hours. Then you drunkenly make your way to the head and discover a load in your pants and you laugh even more. And you spend all night laughing about the load in your pants over tall-boys OF WINE. 

That is what this tastes like. It tastes like the springtime-of-my-life's ideals colliding with my adult-ass palate. It throws caution to the wind, but also takes great care of its flavors. 

SOME REALNESS: They have the best tasting notes on the can I'VE EVER SEEN. AND THE ONLY ONE I'VE EVER BEEN LIKE, "DAMN! YEAH! YOU'RE RIGHT! THIS IS STRAWBERRY AND GRAPEFRUIT AND GUAVA AND MINT AND SOUR PATCH KIDS AND ROSE PETALS! DAMN! ALLOY GETS ITSELF/ME!" 

I would just add "salt water sentimentality" and "MARISSA A. ROSS' SAP", but other than that, perfection.

Pampelonne Red Sangria

Pampelonne Red Sangria
Price: ~ $20
Region: France
Retailer: Whole Foods (next month)

Remember when I found the PERFECT canned wine this summer, the Pampelonne Rosé Lime? 

Everyone has gone nuts for it, and rightfully so.
It's delicious. It's refreshing. It's mobile.

But it was very summery.

That doesn't really matter much in a place where summer never ends, but, even as a native who loves the heat, every once in awhile I like to ~feel~ like there is some sort of seasonal change taking place. I just need to mix things up now and then. Like, I'd love to be comfortable in a cozy oversized sweater on the couch eating tomato soup.

That is a physical impossibility at this juncture in time.
It is too fucking hot.

Ideally, I'd be drinking spiced mulled wine in luxury sweats carving pumpkins and watching Hocus Pocus while my whole house smells like warm cinnamon sticks and I get all nostalgic and shit. BUT NO. INSTEAD, I'M LIKE, OH, SHOULD I WEAR A BIKINI TOMORROW? I ALREADY HAVE TO APPLY SPF10000000 SO WHY NOT.

I'm very upset about the situation. It's been summer for a year & a half and I have some really dope mom jeans and Thanksgiving crafts I would like to debut to the world. 

But that's why the Pampelonne Red Sangria is so perfect right now. It tastes like the holidays, but is refreshing like a Pellegrino. It's light and spicy, and goes down so easy it's almost troubling. 

The way it makes me feel inside is that warm fuzzy awesome feeling I've only felt like four times in my life because it never gets cold here... BUT you know when you're like super, super cold? And then you finally warm up? And then you eat a big meal with loved ones? And then you eat painkillers and watch the first Harry Potter by the fire? You know that warm, fuzzy feeling?

THAT'S HOW I FEEL! RIGHT NOW! IT'S GREAT!
LIKE IS IT CHRISTMAS IN ILLINOIS RIGHT NOW?!
CAUSE IT IS IN MY BELLY!

I was fortunate enough to be gifted one box of these tiny little spiced miracles, and I've crushed it. It's gone. 

And that's the only problem with these.
IS THAT YOU CAN'T GET THEM FOR ANOTHER MONTH.

So be on the look out my friends.
Cause you know that these are Ross Test central.
100%, A++++ pass every time.

Previously: Pampelonne Rosé Lime

Pampelonne Canned Rosé Lime

Pampelonne Canned Rosé Lime 
Price: $19.99 for a four pack 
Region: France
Retailer: Whole Foods

To continue my quest for the perfect canned wine,  I bought the Pampelonne Canned Rosé Lime because I saw it, and uh, how could I not? It's sparkling Rosé, with lime. 

And, it's crazy but, I think I finally found it.
I found the perfect canned wine!

The Pampelonne Canned Rosé Lime has a flavor I thought could only be found in the Pellegrino Limonata, one of my favorite carbonated, non-alcoholic beverages of all time. Have you had that shit? Refreshing and tangy and perfect? You know what I'm talking about right? It's fucking delicious.

Okay, so imagine that perfection
AND THEN ADD ALCOHOL.
And that is what the Rosé Lime is.
ACTUAL PERFECTION.

There is nothing about this that isn't perfect. From the palate to the packaging, this is my quintessential estival beverage. It is an absolute dream, something I conjured with a spell on Tumblr collaging beaches in far away places and vacations from yesteryear. It breaths an air that can't be obtained outside the blocks of Beverly Hills, or on a jetset to Santorini in the 70's. It belongs under a perfectly pink beach umbrella, being sipped by a beautiful bikini'd babe. Even the company's story is straight out of a foreword from a Slim Aarons' coffee table book:

It all began on the beaches of Pampelonne in St. Tropez, France. The sea, sunshine, music, beautiful people, and of course, the wine.  In each can of Pampelonne we hope to capture those wonderful moments – full of the spirit and sophistication of the French Riviera.

Right on the label it has "Joie de vivre"
and I've never experienced a truer proclamation. 

This is awesome for the pool because hey, no glass around the pool. It is also awesome for the beach because hey, it doesn't look like alcohol which is important, trust me on this as someone who has gotten a $250 fine for just quietly chilling and drinking wine on the beach. It is also for just blogging around the house in your bikini.

Pampelonne is my new everything. I'd call it a summer fling, but summer lasts all year round here in sunny Southern California, so actually this is true love. 

Tasting Notes: Ideal effervescence, light and zesty. Thirst-quenching with a perfect acidic balance. So much citrus flavor without a big body or thick finish. Beyond easy and enjoyable. The absolute summer wine.

Ross Test: The whole can is basically just the best Ross Test of all time. The only thing better than Ross Testing one can of Pampelonne, is Ross Testing the entire four pack while working on your tan.

Underwood Canned Pinot Gris

In theory, Underwood's new canned wine was made for me. It stands for everything I stand for. It's unpretentious and fun, turning what the wine world used to be on its head. In the months leading up to its arrival at my local beer shop, I imagined spending my whole summer with it in love like some old timey Jerry Keller jam.

But, expectations are the root of disappointment my friends.

I did not love this wine. In fact, I didn't even finish it. 

The Pinot Gris is too full-bodied for the aluminum. Not only can you taste it on the wine, but it just feels weird drinking it out of the can because it glugs out all thick. I mean, this is coming from a person who has no problem chugging wine out of a bottle or drinking wine out of a Diet Coke can, so it has nothing to do with chugging wine out of a can. I just don't think the Pinot Gris was a good varietal for this. 

I feel like it would have been fine if I had poured it in a glass, but that defeats the purpose! Why buy wine in a can if I'm just going to pour it in a glass! 

If you're looking for cold wine on the go, sure, go right ahead. I'm sure your friends at the picnic will be very impressed with you.

But I'm telling you, I didn't even finish a can. On a hot Saturday afternoon. Do you know how unlikely that is? SO UNLIKELY. SO SAD.

I'm still looking forward to trying the Pinot Noir. I absolutely love Underwood's Pinot Noirs in bottles, so I'm hoping for that same quality in a can. Although, I'm keeping my expectations low. It's not healthy to have your heart broken twice before August.