NV Familie Bauer Rosé

I'm typing from my hotel room in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina where I'm enjoying an extended visit thanks to the Polar Vortex. I'm here along with several other wine writers participating in a tour and series of meetings about Nomacorc, the world's leading producer of synthetic corks. I've learned a lot about them in the past couple of days and can't wait to go into a lot more detail on the production process and the benefit of these corks. They are not mere replacements for natural corks, but rather specifically engineered plugs to eliminate TCA contamination and provide for specific oxygen access to the wine depending on how that wine needs to be aged and when it will be consumed.

I'm here with Todd Godbout, Cath Monahan, Michelle Locke, Luke Whittall, and Mads Jordansen. They're a talented group with a wide range of experience within the wine world, and those links will take you to their various blogs, podcasts, Twitter feeds, and other media outlets. Be sure to check them out, and big thanks to Katie and Whitney for hosting us, keeping us fed, and taking care of our travel arrangements.

Next door to the hotel is a convenient little wine shop/bar called The Wine Feed. The selection is small but eclectic, with a wonderfully curated list that I imagine changes every few weeks. When I go to purchase a bottle of wine on the road, I usually look for a grape I haven't tried, an obscure region, or something that I haven't tried yet and can't find in Memphis. (That list gets smaller every week.) This little beauty caught my eye...

NV Familie Bauer Rosé
Niederösterreich, Austria
Zweigelt
$15/1L bottle, 12.5% abv.

The company website did not have a fact sheet on this wine, and some sources claim that it is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon or Blaufränkisch. Light cherry nose with floral jasmine notes. Mild red fruit body with tart raspberry acidity on the finish. Gentle, and the one litre format makes this one an excellent choice for sharing with two or three people. Great choice for a light salad course or a cold salmon and dill recipe.