Doktor Picnicblog: Château Bellevue La Forêt

There are so many things about this photo that I am not sure of. Who took it? And when was taken? And, uh, what am I doing?

These answers are all lost in the mists of time. Yet I can almost certainly recall that the pink stuff in my glass was Château Bellevue La Forêt. It's a thoroughly dependable rosé from the Côtes du Frontonnais region of southwestern France (click on my wine glass in the image above for more details). During my formative years, Bellevue La Forêt was practically synonymous with weekend lunches on Mount Royal.

Perhaps a little too formative based on this unraveled Lotus position I am demonstrating here.

TIPS ON SERVING TEMPERATURE

But remember folks, it's not how much you drink, it's how you drink it. Yesterday’s post, which featured a stunningly beautiful painting-like photograph, shows that picnics don’t have to be limited to a bottle or two if you want your wine perfectly chilled. On hot summer days though, volume can present an issue for wine reaching the right temperature. Thermal sleeves are the best devices for traveling with wine bottles that need to be served cold. Put the bottles and their sleeves in the freezer separately during the hour before your departure. Can’t get those rosés too cold when the air temperature will instantly start warming it up.

Backwash
Thanks to Collin C for pointing out to me that I might need a little adventure in the picnic equation I wrote out yesterday. Here’s what I’m working with now: picnic = wilderness + friends + wine + food