The seasonality of wine drinking?...

The east coast is preparing for the first major snowstorm of the year and a part of that readiness is to break out the rock salt and start up the snow blower for the first time in 9 months. The next step is to stock up on essentials like firewood, bread, milk and of course a trip to your local package store for a bottle (or twelve) of wine, beer or other favorite adult beverage.

Through the years we have gotten to see that the type of wines selected while getting ready for an impending blizzard are very different from those that are chosen when a hurricane is getting ready to bear down on us. The primary difference being that when it is colder weather people tend towards red and warmer weather brings requests for whites.

At least that is what history has dictated.

A couple of days ago a visit from Christelle (former Harry's mainstay on our wine staff) started a conversation that had me wondering about the actual seasonality of wines and the explosion in popularity of Rosé. If you read last weeks blog post you will remember the prediction of even more popularity in the category as the 2015 vintage makes the scene a bit later this year. She and I talked about a recent outing she had and her choice to have a glass of Rosé rather than red was the right choice even though the temperature outside was down below freezing. She simply wanted a glass of wine that she would enjoy with her food and the versatility of these little beauties made a seemingly unusual choice and easy one.

Her selection was not as surprising as it would have been just a few years ago and since Rosé does balance somewhere between red and white, it has become, or at least is becoming, an all weather favorite for many. Is it as simple as the warm weather patterns that we have experienced this year? I don't think so... This past year when or display was broken down, the number of choices remained around 50 and since has dwindled a bit but consumer demand has dictated that we keep a substantial selection even as the colder weather has rolled in these past couple weeks.

While the predominate call as people get their storm supplies is a blood thickening California Cab or Argentine Mablec to sit with by the fire as Mother Nature does her damage, I do expect some "unusual" requests for the pink stuff as it continues to defy its categorization as a summer quaff.

For such a pretty and delicate wine, Rosé certainly does have some moxy and continues to broaden its appeal for many sippers of these ethereal beauties. When you stop by for your supplies today, consider taking the bold step of adding one to your own list of essentials for the storm.

-Cheers!