INSIDER'S PICK: 2020 VALERIO ZENATO ROSE BARDOLINO CHIARETTO CLASSICO 'LE MORETTE' $15.99

Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.

An ideal wine for Memorial Day (and a reminder we will be closed on Memorial Day, so get your beverage purchasing done early!), good Rose is a perfect way to mark the lead in to Summer. But the shelves of most retailers are chocked full of very, very similar things so it can be an extra pleasure when you get a hold of something a little different. Bardolino sits on the Western end of the Veneto on the shores of Lake Garda, sharing the same grape varieties as its neighbors in Valpolicella, but historically making a lighter style wine due to the cooling aspects of the lake. Chiaretto is the local name for Rose made on either side of the lake (a historical boundary line between the Lombardy and Veneto regions) ,and it is especially nice to see one from the 'Classico' designation, meaning the vineyards are from the original Bardolino boundaries closest to the lake. A blend of the classic red grape trilogy for the region -Corvina, Rodinella, and Molinara- the aromas are lovely wild strawberry and strawberry leaf, unique to the grapes used and the cooler climate that brings out the pretty savory tones. Juicy quenching strawberry and watermelon tones on the palate and a tingle of fresh acidity that isn't bracing or edgy, just pretty and enjoyable. Great with a chill for light snacks and a cool salmon salad, and definitely not what everyone else will have in their Rose glass.

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