by B.D. Fischer
Traditionally, I eat fried chicken (a notorious difficult wine pair) for the Super Bowl, and I intended to get takeout from this hip new Korean wing joint in Edgewater but that provide impossible this year for reasons that are complicated. I was not able to procure Mexican food, either; a notice on their door said that they were closed so that we, i.e., the customers, could enjoy our Super Bowl. As if enjoying the Super Bowl with Mexican food were some preposterous, outlandish idea. I ended up at Target (where I had been two hours previous) eight minutes before kickoff and purchased a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos and pack of hot dogs.
The wine would be an NV Dibon Cava Rosado (rosé). Although my cellar needs replenishing and this was only partly a matter of choice, it was inspired. This is the type of wine that, except for a select few of you, you aren’t drinking enough of. I know that I’m not. Cava is the most popular Spanish sparkling. It tastes generally flatter (not meaning that derogatorily; this is a quality I associate also with esoteric Spanish reds) than Champagne, to which it is frequently compared, a certain slashing quality to the bubbles, which stick to the tongue. Usually dry, although it comes in the sec/semisec/dolsec varieties, too.
The rosé, however, suffers when the strawberry–small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, or Monastrell are added to give the rosado its beautiful pink–is moved to the front, as it is in this case. The strong fruit contradicts the dryness, inducing a cognitive dissonance that is mostly unpleasant, although it still feels wonderful in the mouth, seeming to crawl along the tongue.
None of this obviates the inspiration of my $14 choice. A better cava—and they are not hard to find, although you may have to pay $20 or $22—would have been outstanding with all of fried chicken (McInerney recommends Zinfandel, which is also inspired), Mexican, and (I can verify this one) hot dogs and corn chips. That’s a tall order, but like many difficult wine questions this one is answered by bubbles. (Rating: Good)
NV Dibon Cava Rosado is imported to the U.S. by Julienne Importing, of Chicago.
