My wine club at the Fine Wine Source in Livonia is not that far away, but they have very limited hours at the moment as they are still adjusting to the mandates of trying to run a business and not go out of business.  The world is still topsy-turvy and getting to my local wine shop has been just as difficult as anything.  I just picked up recently the July club offerings and as usual there is an Old World offering and a New World offering.  I am just glad that he has a great business and loyal customers that are not wanting the wines at the corner market or the grocery store.  Each time I have been there, because he has condensed hours, so that he can deliver wine orders, it has been hectic.  There are usually a couple of wine sales reps there, and I am sure that they are glad that they are still getting the chance to process orders.  I know that my old industry that I retired from is suffering terribly, so I am glad to see when businesses overcome adversities that have been imposed upon them, as if business is not hard enough as it is.

The Old-World offering is a Rosé wine from the Loire Valley, which is a major wine producing area that lives in the shadow of some of the other wine regions.  One of the main reasons that this area is over shadowed, because all of the wines are more nuanced and delicate, instead of big in-your-face reds that so many of the wine critics prefer these days.  White wines are what most people think of when they think of the Loire, they think of Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc.  Though red wines are increasing and Cabernet Franc is the star, but followed by Gamay, Pinot Noir and Malbec (known locally as Cot).  Touraine is located in the center of the wine region of the Loire.  With the Touraine appellation the wines may be white, red, rosé or sparkling (and in all three-color variations).  The red wines of Touraine are led by Gamay and then Cabernet Franc and Malbec.  Rosé wines account for about ten percent of the production and they are dry in style, and the three main red grapes are the major players as well. 

Thierry Delauney “La Vignette” Rosé Touraine 2019 is from an estate that is twenty-one hectares situated in Pouille above the banks of the Cher, the very center of the appellation. The vineyards have been cultivated and tended by five generations of the same family and the first wines that were bottled at the Domaine was in 1971.  Through the years they have worked to increase the quality and the reputation of the winery and in the process have also entered into the négociant trade.  The wine is made using Gamay, Cabernet Franc and Malbec (Cot).  The fruit is harvested from across the Touraine and the wine is aged on fine lees in Stainless Steel. The notes for this wine are that it is a salmon pink hue, with a spicy nose of red currants, strawberries and raspberries.  The wine is described as balanced with a lovely acidity and offering a creamy finish on the palate.  It is recommended as the perfect wine for salads, and pink meats, charcuterie and soft cheeses.