A Sparkling Rosé To Cure What Ails You

Let's say you're having a bad day. A really bad day. The kind of day where the alarm clock doesn't go off, the commute takes twice as long as usual, you're forced into having one of "those" conversations with your boss/significant other/mother/roommate/etc., and to top it all off, the strap on your bag breaks a block from home. Don't worry; we've found the ultimate bad-day antidote. One sip of the Patrick Bottex "La Cueille" Bugey-Cerdon sparkling rosé, and all those troubles will float away.

Located near the Savoie in eastern France, the wine region of Bugey produces white, red, rosé, and sparkling wine, most of which (sadly for us!) is consumed locally. Within Bugey lies Cerdon, one of the region's unofficial "crus," famous for its signature bubbly, off-dry rosé. Only a few are imported into the U.S., including this bottling of 90 percent gamay and 10 percent poulsard from Patrick Bottex, made in the methode ancestrale tradition. This technique, also known as pétillant naturel, involves bottling the fermenting wine before fermentation has finished. The remaining fermentation builds pressure in the bottle, creating a naturally sparkling wine, usually with a touch of sweetness.

It's hard to resist a smile from the moment that this wine is poured into the glass: cotton-candy pink bubbles froth on top of berry-colored juice. Ripe strawberries and raspberries burst onto the palate, and the initial sweetness might trick you into thinking that you're drinking juice instead of wine; it is only eight percent alcohol, after all. But don't turn and run at the mention of residual sugar! It's certainly a balanced sweetness, finishing pleasantly tart, giving images of sunset with a touch of orange and lemon citrus. The Bottex "La Cueille" Bugey-Cerdon ($22.99) is like candy for grown-ups... in the best possible way.

Though we wish you only sunny days ahead, the next time a rotten day strikes, take a deep breath and remember that there's an upside waiting at the end. If it's wrong to say that this wine tastes like rainbows and sunshine, we don't want to be right.