Marissa Ross drank her way to a professional level of wine education, and her wild, hilarious and spot-on tasting notes on Instagram have us inspired to, well, drink more wine.
Marissa is the wine editor at Bon Appetit and the author of Wine. All The Time: The Casual Guide To Confident Drinking. Marissa’s writing career began in comedy, and at one point she was an assistant to Mindy Kaling. Her effusive, hilarious wine tasting notes are utterly unique and so fun to read, we thought we’d share a few of our faves here with you.
Knowing where our wines come from and how they are made is as important to understand as where our food comes from. There are so many of us that care about the longitude and latitude of a cucumber’s origin, yet we don’t give our choice of wine a second thought. Learn more about making clean wine choices here and enjoy Marissa Ross’s BS-free wordsmithing below…
DO LABELS IMITATE LIFE OR DOES LIFE IMITATE LABELS WHO’S TO SAY? But I can say with certainty that Milan Nestarec’s “Youngster” Pinot Noir rosé is yet another prime example of the incredible possibilities of the Czech Republic. As bright pink as the label, the “Youngster” rosé smells like a neon strawberry forest floor misted in dewy lime, and tastes like burning fresh cherry-watermelon celluloid film that expands with warm spice & pops with acidity. Just as delicious in the glass as it is throwing it back. After La Dive, I can whole-heartedly say that Nestarec has become one of my favorite producers in the world. @milannestarec @jennyfrancois@amyatwoodwine @domainela #MARwines#rosstest 🍒🍉💥
One of my favorite modern holiday traditions: The @scribewinery Pinot Noir Nouveau. Like drinking watermelon cherry juice & peonies from a salty seashell, with a bite of banana. Perfect for afternoon sipping before supper all year long. #MARwines #MARholidayguide 🐚🍒🍌
Ah, the @costadilavini 280 Slm excites like a stoked fire but soothes like the glow of dim patio lights on a warm night. By far my favorite Prosecco, it destroys everything you’ve ever thought about the sparkling wine while opening your eyes to all of its possibilities. Energetic and lively, but murky and macerated, this wine smells and tastes like warm apricot, star jasmine and bites of pithy grapefruit at dusk. Drinks like @macdemarco’s “The Stars Keep Calling My Name,” and has me feeling like summer. I also had the absolute pleasure of talking to winemaker Ernesto Cattel at C’ero Una Volta a few weeks ago in Italy, and loved hearing about his passion to revitalize the traditions of the region of Tarzo and its terroir. *Each bottle is named after its vineyard’s elevation#MARwines 🤩🍾🔥✨
The Les Sablonnettes ‘Les Copines Aussi’ Gamay is New Order’s “Age of Consent” played with tart cranberry power chords, a ripe cherry bass line, orange peel drums and a keyboard of rose petals. Upbeat with heart-racing acidity, it is so flirtatious it verges on straight seduction, but is just too fun not to laugh with. One of those “make-out with once & now have to marry” wines. ALL THE EMOJIS. Available at @helenswines! @jennyfrancois@amyatwoodwine #MARwines 🍷🍒🍊🌹
TROUBLE IS RIGHT. Le Clot de l’Origine’s “Le Trouble Fait” is trouble like a sunny Sunday. Trouble like a new crush. Trouble like a good Piña Colada. Trouble like all three of those things rolled up into an afternoon you devour every moment of, pretending Mondays are not a real thing. And trouble because Mondays are real and you drank the whole bottle because this Muscat d’Alexandrie (of the OG Vitis vinifera fam) tastes & smells as if the sun was squeezed and fresh pineapple juice rained down from a clear spring sky while you frolicked through fields of long grass, sage, and gardenia. Juicy but dry, it’s everything you want from an aromatic white wine without the cloying weight. I recommend pairing with @dentmay‘s “Across The Multiverse” album and blind optimism. Because hey, whatever it is you’ve got going on— IT’S GOING TO BE OK. HELL, IT MIGHT EVEN BE GREAT. @clotdelorigine @wearenomadic#MARwines 💫🥂☀
Learn more about wine with these savvy sipping notes from another pro we love.
