A Brief Reprieve

Earlier this week, while we were enjoying that brief, sudden, sodden stint of surprisingly spring-y weather, I found myself craving a nice cool glass of white. So I started poking around my cellar, looking for who-knew-what, when I came across a Susana Balbo rose of Malbec I’d forgotten about. And though its strawberry fruit had shed some of its vibrancy, and though it was pouring outside, and though I felt like I had stepped into some strange off-season performance-art version of Eliot’s “Waste Land”–the cruelest month having arrived either far too early or far too late in the year–what I had in my hand was all I needed to make everything right with the world: A glassful of pink sunshine. Never underestimate the restorative powers of a glass of pink.

Dominio del Plata 2006 “Crios de Susana Balbo,” Mendoza

There’s nothing terribly new about Argentina, but the blend here might be unfamiliar: Syrah (which you know) and Bonarda (which you might not). But for $12.99 in PA right now, it’s a wine that’s worth trying. This fruity, surprisingly complex steal, from one of Argentina’s top female winemakers, is bound to become a staple in your cellar…or liver.

Crios de Susana Balbo 2006 Rose of Malbec

Sign me up as the first member of the Susana Balbo fan club. Her wines are so well-made, so affordable, so fun, that whenever I see them in the wine shop they somehow, of their own volition, jump right into my cart. And, boy, am I glad this one did. It’s everything I want from a rose: delicious fruit (strawberries, rhubarb), bright acidity, and a finish that splits the difference between something melonlike and surprisingly nutty. And at $10 or $11, buying a case is not out of the question.