2013 Villány Rosé from Hummel for Euro 7,50
Of course, everybody is now drinking rosé, because the sky is often blue and the sun is often shining (an interesting color combo there). I admit I sometimes do the same, although never obsessively or compulsively as I do with certain other wines. There are several different types of rosé, each of which has its place, but it is really only the bone dry ones drunk with food that ever leave a lasting impression on me. Often they’re rather full-bodied (I’ve nothing against Bandol rosé as long as it still has a certain freshness alongside all that power), and that does limit the quantity I can get down, or even want to get down. This month’s wine of the month is a bone dry rosé with a rather low alcoholic content that makes it a great food wine, but light enough that given enough time (and an adequate supply for the number of people at the table) I could drain the bottle with ease. I know, this is one of those hypothetical arguments that food and wine writers frequently on the basis of little experience, or in this case none. What I mean is that the wine makes me feel that way when I drink it, and this is inspiring. I hereby make the dangerous (for my journalistic credentials) claim that the combination of inspiration and full disclosure is more better than narrow-minded correctness and correct posture without pleasure!
Regular readers have bumped into wines from the Berlin lawyer and Hungarian winegrower Horst Hummel here before. Sure his proximity to me when I’m here in Berlin means that I taste his wines more often than would otherwise be the case. However, I certainly wouldn’t taste them so often if they weren’t so strikingly individual with the reds rarely showing perceptible oak, and always tasting elegant but decisively dry tannins, and moderate alcoholic contents. This is Hummel’s best rosé to date and every bit as good as his reds. It’s got just 11.5% alcohol along with a healthy acidity and tannin content, which makes it seriously refreshing and seriously full of character. There’s a touch of bitterness and a very salty mineral aftertaste that seriously accentuate those qualities. In short, this is not a rosé for the those looking for a teddy bears’ pick nick in a glass, nor for those who want Barbie to give them a suggestive smile. This is a grown-up wine for grown-up wine drinkers, and having made it to 54 just a few days I feel obliged to point out that aspect. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!
2013 Villány Rosé from Host Hummel is Euro 7,50 from:
Horst Hummel – Villány Berlin
Buchholzer Strasse 9
D 10437 Berlin
Tel: (49) / 0 30 445 3444
Email: hh@weingut-hummel.com
Internet: www.weingut-hummel.com
