SUMMER WINE PAIRINGS FROM ROSSO WINE SHOP

This week we're hearing from wine merchants on their favorite summer pairings. The official beginning of summer is still coming up - quickly - but many have already started preparing their summer meals. The grills are hot, the salads are cool and all we need now is the perfect wine to serve with our seasonal spreads.

Jeff Zimmitti, owner of Rosso Wine Shop in Glendale is our contributor today.  Rosso is at 3459 ½ N Verdugo Road in Glendale, CA.  You can reach Jeff at 818.330.9130.

Here are Jeff's top four picks for wines that will rock your summer.

He says quite rightly - that any grilled seafood will go well with a dry French rosé!  He recommends the 2009 Domaine Corbillieres Touraine Rosé, which goes for $13.99.  Jeff says this French pink is "made from 100% Pinot Noir.  Hand-harvested.  Naturally fermented.  Elegant style.  The result is a pale rosé wine, slightly spicy, with a vague hint of pepper.  It is a thirst-quenching wine to drink with all summer meals, and can also be paired with exotic cuisine.  It can handle some spice."

Jeff goes to the grill with a wine that can "work with a flavorful grilled salmon or some grilled pork or chicken.  It is light on it’s feet and has a nice brightness.  A slight chill can make it very refreshing."  He's talking about the 2007 Ca’ Montebello Bonarda Frizzanteat $17.99.  It's an Italian, "made with Croatina grapes that were hand-harvested from the Oltrepo Pavese DOC.  A ruby red wine with violet reflections.  An ever so faint spritz (frizzante) makes this wine a fresh drink.  Intense and vinous with hints of cherries and woodland fruits.  It is a smooth elegant wine to be enjoyed young and if you like, with a slight chill."

"This one pairs well with BBQ and spicy foods.  Worked well with Korean short ribs (Galbi).  Soft tannins. Bold flavor but good acidity."  That's the 2008 Punta Crena Cruvin Rosso, selling for $23.99.  Another Italian entry, this is "made in the tiny town of Varigotti, Liguria.  Not much red wine is made in this region and hardly any makes it to the U.S.  The rare red grape in this wine is 100% Crovino.  Ruby red in color, with light red fruit strawberry on the nose.  Flavors of robust forest berry and spice in the mouth.  Soft, clean and long finish.  We highly recommend this one!"

Jeff saves the biggest and baddest for last.  "Got to have a bruiser for those folks who want a dense wine to match up with some serious beef or sausages.  An old-school Zinfandel produced from vineyard sites that were first planted in California by Italian immigrants over 60+ years ago.  The 2008 Carlisle Winery Zinfandel Sonoma County, at $22.99, is medium-dark ruby-garnet.  Red cherries, berry compote, and notes of bittersweet chocolate and brown spices greet the nose.  Fresh and juicy on the palate with red and black berry fruits highlighted by hints of licorice, smoked meat, and earth."

There you have it - Jeff Zimmitti's four solid wines you and your summer guests will love, and the foods with which to pair them.  A big Glendale-sized "thanks!" to Jeff and Rosso Wine Shop.  We'll feature more summer pairing picks all week, so be sure to check in tomorrow.

Tasting Notes: Cascinetta Vietti Moscato d'Asti 2007

The Bottle: There's a lot of Italian on the label, but even with my limited multi-lingual abilities there's enough English to give me a pretty good idea what's going on. Moscato d'Asti wines come from Italy's Piedmont region, in the northwest near the town of Asti. They are low alcohol wines by law - 5.5% abv. I bought this little gem for $16 in a Glendale wine store my wife and I like to frequent, although far too infrequently. Rosso Wine Shop, 3459 1/2 N. Verdugo Road, has a great selection of Italian wines. Jeff Zimmitti has Spanish, French and Californian in there, too, but we always seem to linger in the Italian aisle. Jeff puts on a nice tasting, too, every weekend. Oh yeah, the wine was Cascinetta Vietti 2007.

The Nose: The aromas were a little hard for me to get, as the wine was cold. It seemed to be rather floral and peachy.

The Taste: The taste certainly didn't hide, though. It was sweet and fizzy - not a full-fledged sparkling wine, but with enough bubbles to make it worthy of a special occasion, or a special person. The feel is quite full in the mouth, and the fizziness seems to give it a bit of an edge. Honeyed apples and pears were in the forefront, and a rather nutty note made itself known in the pleasant finish. It was a lush delight, and a wonderful change-of-pace wine if you go in for such a thing. And why shouldn't you?