Francey Not Fancy Featured in Men’s Journal
Thank you Men’s Journal for including me, and two of my favorite everyday reds, in your 25 Best Red Wines To Drink This Spring.
Link above will send you to the full article.
Below are my recommendations with links to buy on Wine.com:
Au Bon Climat 2022 Santa Barbara Pinot Noir, $24.99
Consider Au Bon Climat 2022 Santa Barbara Pinot Noir your house wine. It’s perfect for all occasions, all kinds of company, and all nights of the week, says sommelier Alison Morris Roslyn, founder of Francey not Fancy. “This is a terrific wine to break out in spring, especially if you’ve been drinking heavier red in winter like Bordeaux blends, Napa Valley Cabernets, or Syrah,” she says. “It has fantastic cranberry and red fruit, and an old world earthiness that feels more French than California coast.” Morris Roslyn likes to pair it with pepperoni pizza, burgers, charcuterie, or just sip it on its own.
Domain D’Ansignan 2021 Petites Grappes Côtes du Roussillon, $21.99
While most people are busy spending more money on red blends from Bordeaux or Pinot Noir from Burgundy, you can find some great values in Roussillon, and this is one of them, Morris Roslyn says.
Domaine D’Ansignan 2021 Petites Grappes Côtes du Roussillon is made with 50 percent Grenache and 50 percent Carignan grapes. It has really nice dark fruit flavors like plums and cherries, bright acidity, and fine tannins, she says.
“I’d consider this a medium to medium-minus bodied wine, which is exactly the lighter kind of red wine you want to ease into as we come out of winter and head into warmer spring days,” Morris Roslyn says. “It’s a perfect weeknight wine that would be awesome with pizza, grilled chicken, even shish kabobs.”
Serve it on the cooler side of room temperature: high 50s Fahrenheit.
Not sure where to start when it comes to finding the best red wines of the season?
Come spring, turn your attention to lighter wines. It’s a nice time to start transitioning out of big bold reds and into lighter wines like Pinot Noir and even rosé, Morris Roslyn says.
Gamay and Beaujolais are beautiful red wines for this time of year. They’re French wines that are both made with Gamay grapes, and can be served slightly chilled, she says. They’re fruit forward, light to medium bodied, easy drinking, and are great with charcuterie, cheese, and chicken.
A quick explainer: Don’t confuse Beaujolais with Beaujolais Nouveau, a very young wine released in France every November, mostly as a marketing ploy. Beaujolais wines are beautiful, in spite of the bad rap they get from being confused with Beaujolais Nouveau.
Lighter reds like Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Beaujolais can also work really well with heavier fishes like tuna or salmon, if you’re not a white wine drinker.
