A consummate summer wine, a glass of the Celler del Roure Cullerot 2019 smelled and tasted like a bowl of bruised apples and perfectly ripe yellow plums and peaches, with a drizzle of honey, a sprinkle of salt, and a spritz of refreshing citrus on the finish. 

When I closed my eyes and took a breath at the top of the glass, a faint memory drifted up of hot summer days in our garden in Delhi, Jasmine flowers wilting and terracotta flower-pots drying in the mid-afternoon sun, after a fresh watering. I wonder what recollections it might bring to your mind, should you try it. Do you find wines induce vivid images in your mind? 

I have heard people compare wines to ballerinas. This wine is more akin to reeds swaying in a gentle, salty sea-breeze: it is supple, sinewy, and graceful, appearing both free and poised at the same time, balancing acidity with a certain softness on the palate. 

As much as I like pairing wines with food, this is one wine I chose not to pair with anything, other than sunshine and cerulean skies. 

It is made of Pedro Ximénez, Macabeo, Malvasia, and other varieties, underwent 5 days of skin-contact, and was fermented for 6 months in clay amphorae. Grab it at Grape Witches or the Everly Wine shop, if you’re in Ontario.