A peach of a wine column

Eric Asimov writes winningly of a distillery in Oregon that specializes in eau de vie in his column today in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/15/dining/15pour.html?_r=1&ref=dining&oref=slogin), telling the story of this unusual stuff by painting a portrait of the passionate person behind the effort.

Made me want to clip the article -- yes, I get the print edition delivered daily -- and take it to my favorite wine guy down the block.

This summer, I've been obsessed with pink wines. The dry roses. Remember when we called them "blush" wines? I really enjoyed a syrah rose from an up-and-coming wine growing region in Washington state, the area near Wenatchee and Chelan.

The Saint Laurent 2006 syrah rose is wrapped up in one of the prettiest labels on the shelf, which usually puts me off a wine. Fortunately, what's inside is as gorgeous as the packaging, refreshingly fruity, but with enough snap to keep it from sliding off the too-sweet chart. It was a big hit with grilled salmon.

Another thing I love about these roses? The price. Some of the best deals around at under $20. I've got a Chinook rose chilling for dinner on the deck tonight!