On this Wine Wednesday, I have chosen the naughtily delicious 2008 Gay Rose from Naked Winery.
Located in Hood River, OR, in the heart of the scenic Columbia River Gorge, Naked Winery “aims to tease”. Yes, they are a little risque and a little suggestive, but isn’t that what wine is all about? Being a little risque…teasing…tantalizing…suggestive???
The Gay Rose definitely meets their goal. It teases, it taunts and in the end, provides you with a wonderful feeling of pleasure. There’s a touch of honey on the nose, along with hints of pear that lead into stone fruit. The taste has a slightly mineral and under ripe stone fruit bite on the tip of your tongue that leads into full apricot and honey (again) as it hits the back of your tongue…but not the processed, always consistent honey you get in the cute little bear at the store on the back of your tongue. Nope…it’s the honey taste that you only get from a country roadside stand jar of honey that you’ve had for a while and has that crusty, unrefined bite.
And I, for one, love that taste of crusty, unrefined honey. That taste brings me back to my childhood and when I was sick, getting a spoonful of honey to help soothe a sore throat (which does work, by the way).
If you’re ever in Hood River and have time, stop by Naked for the experience! But just a fair warning, with names like Tease Riesling, Dominatrix Pinot Noir and Penetration Cabernet, you need to have an open mind…or at least be open to the underlying meaning of their name.
This wine was purchased by me on a trip with two of my favorite wine tasting buddies, my Mom and my cousin.
