amalia wrote:

> "Mark Lipton" > wrote in message
> ...
> > What follows are my notes from a day of wine tasting in Paso Robles.[...]
> >
> > 2002 Rosé "Celeidh":
> > A nose of bright strawberries; crisp entry, moderately fruity, with
> > citrus notes in the finish. Interesting wine, but still a bit too
> > alcoholic (like most every CA rosé).
>
> Thank you for the good read, Mark. I'm catching up on the group, sorry for
> the late entry, but I wonder why do you think this is about CA rosé? Is it
> something about the way the wine is made or a perception of what the market
> wants?

Hi, Amalia. Good to hear from you again. If what you're asking is why I
think that CA rosés are too alcoholic, then my answer is that in my world
rosés are mostly consumed in summer, with lighter summer fare. I like mine
light, fruity, crisp and low in alcohol. In that context, a 14% alcohol
content is just over the top, IMHO. If, OTOH, you're asking why CA rosés are
so alcoholic, then I think we need look no farther than the weather. CA just
gets so many more degree-days than most parts of Europe that the grapes
develop very high levels of sugars whether you want them to or not. Perhaps
there's some trellising trick they could use to retard the ripening of the
grapes, but that would require a conscious decision to reduce the sugar
content -- and who besides weirdos like me is looking for less ripe grapes in
CA?

Mark Lipton