2016 San Salvatore Rosato ‘Vetere’ Paestum IGT

We fell in love with this wine in Italy this summer, downing it like water up and down the Amalfi Coast. Like Dr. Seuss, we drank it on a boat, on a deck, on a train and in the rain. Because it is such a perfect, light rosé for day drinking, and goes with everything, even those shitty little white plastic cups they have on boats in Italy, the ones that look like you should be gargling mouthwash from. We first discovered San Salvatore by accident a few years ago, when we got lost on the way to an agriturismo in Paestum (in southern Italy’s Campania region), and found ourselves in their parking lot. Their estate is in the middle of the Cilento National Park, a rural mountainous region overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, where the estate’s herd of water buffalo roam freely (they make divine Mozzarella di Bufala from the milk – and OMG it is so good with this wine!) San Salvatore’s Giuseppe Pagano, bless his heart, is one of the very few biodynamic producers in the region, and is equally respectful and hands-off in the cellar. Without a lot of shit getting in the way, the terroir and proximity to the sea really shines in his wines, like this rosato, made from dry-farmed Aglianico. Wearing the most beautiful rose gold color, it’s dry and salty, and tastes of cantaloupe and maraschino cherry – a southern Italian salute to the rosés of Provence!