Please Please Me & Arca Nova Vinho Verde

Sauvignon Blanc may have been the white wine that converted me from Only-Drinking-Cabernet-FOR-LIFE-I-KNOW-EVERYTHING twenty-three year old, but Vinho Verde was the white wine that I first fell in love with. And that is why I enjoy this Arca Nova Vinho Verde ($9, Silverlake Wine) regularly. Maybe too regularly. Like, more regularly and dependable than my digestive system. 

Vinho Verde is the best for my favorite type of drinking: summer day-drinking. Cheap and low in alcohol, you can buy and drink a lot of it. Slightly sparkling, delightfully dry, and just juicy enough to be thirst quenching, I'm pretty sure it's the estival ultimate. 

There is nothing better for me than coming home in the summer with the AC blasting, popping a bottle of vinho verde and putting on some early Beatles. Is there anything more fun and poppy than Please Please Me? In my personal opinion, no. And it pairs perfectly with vinho verde. THEY ARE ONE IN THE SAME. If you look up "light & playful" in the dictionary [of my dreams], you will find a photo of the Beatles recording Please Please Me drinking vinho verde. They're laughing and chugging bright green & teal bottles and having a blast and blowing kisses to me through the glass cause I mean, I'm totally there in the dictionary [of my dreams].

The Arca Nova is bright and tastes like grapefruit lemonade, with hints of melon and Paul McCartney's sweat. I say Paul because it's kind of sweet but not as genuinely sweet as George's would be. Paul may write sweet songs but I don't believe he's as sweet as he lets on, and he's not as pure as Georgey boy. That being said, I fucking love that about Paul. You just know he's a bit of an asshole, and not gonna lie, I need my men with a bit of asshole. That sounds like I'm into buttstuff which is fine but I'm not into buttstuff but anyway, okay, ahem.... Anyway, Paul McCartney was my second crush ever after Disney's Robin Hood (yes the fox, the literal and figurative fox). And this is how I always imagined Paul's sweat tasting-- crisp, salty and intoxicating.  

THE POINT IS I LOVE IT.
PAUL AND VINHO VERDES.

Sidebar, real quick, uhhhh the guitars on "Anna"?
I listen to that song like 400x on repeat and then have to change my pants.
IT IS SO GOOD. IT'S LIKE THE CHERRY COKE OF GUITAR RIFFS.

Paired: Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé & The Endless Summer Soundtrack

Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé
Price: $8.99
Retailer: Wine.com

Today I am pairing the Mulderbosch Cab Sauv Rosé withThe Endless Summer soundtrack. It’s a no brainer, and here is why.

First, It is eighty-something degrees here in Los Angeles. It is straight up eighty-something in January, which decrees an endless summer if I’ve ever decreed (I haven’t). And Rosés were made for summery afternoons: cold, bright, and the color of a bed of flowers.

Secondly, Mulderbosch is a South African wine. Drinking it makes me feel like I’ve traveled across the world to sample a beautiful varietal that is familiar, yet completely new. Much like when surfers Mike Hynson and Robert August visited South Africa to surf. I mean, it’s not like they’d never surfed a fucking wave before, but they were surfing South African waves. CALIFORNIA NATIVES SURFING FOREIGN WAVES, DUDE. JUST LIKE YOUR GIRL, M.ROSS.

And I am loving this South African wave I am currently riding. Especially with The Sandals in the background. As a surf-rock aficionado, I can say this is one of my favorite albums, conjuring beautiful 16mm Bruce Brown beach fantasies in my brain. It’s pure afternoon drunk magic right now. I am on vacation, forever

Tasting Notes: When I first opened this bottle, I poured it and immediately dove in, which was a mistake. This is one of the few wines I’ve had that really do take time to open up, and taste completely different if you let them breath a bit. Once it’s had some time, you get a really nice, bright bouquet of cherries, strawberries and a little herb-ness. I really love the palate because although it is a fairly straightforward Rosé, it has incredible balance. It’s rich yet refreshing, with light berries and ample acidity. Very enjoyable, one of the best Rosés I’ve had in sometime.

Ross Test: Pass! I could see myself chugging this entire bottle without an issue in 110 degree weather next to a pool in Palm Springs in a couple months.