December is here and the holiday rush has me running around on the hunt for the perfect Christmas presents for my family and friends. With almost all of our friends and all of our family in the Midwest, I will be making the UPS man very tired. All this rushing around and stressing over the hunt for the perfect gifts, means I will be drinking more wine. I know, it’s a rough job, but somebody has to do it.

Speaking of drinking more wine, I opened a bottle of Rosé for dinner. I have to say I was very surprised with this wine. The wine was a Washington Rosé called Forbidden Rosé, from Columbia Valley, bottled and produced by Patterson Cellars, who are in Woodinville, Washington, just down the road from us. The wine was very affordable, under $15 a bottle and quite tasty. It had 13.5% alcohol content, not bad for a Rosé. In fact, the blend was the real surprise. The wine was a blend of 35% Merlot, 30% Syrah, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 4% Sangiovese and 3% Petit Verdot, quite a mixture wouldn’t you say?

The wine was a bright pinkish red in the glass, more red than pink. My first sip tasted like tart cherries almost like cherry pie. The wine was light and soft but had enough alcohol to give it a nice bite at the end. This was not a sweet wine and definitely had enough body to go well with the chicken I had cooked. I think this wine would go well with a spicier dish too. Something a bit hot and spicy, like fajitas or tacos for that matter.

You can find them at http://www.Pattersoncellars.com. I can tell you that this is a bottle I will definitely be buying again and since Patterson Cellars is just a short drive I think a road trip is in order. Who knows, maybe someone on my Christmas list may get a nice bottle of wine or two on their doorstep.