Rosé Is the Perfect Wine for Summer Fare
Here's some news worth cheering: Bowing to pressure from European winemakers and consumers, there will be no changes allowed in the way rosé wines are made in the Old World. In other words, it's not broken, so don't fix it.
Over the past few years, rosé has been red hot, especially during summer months. This pretty pink drink is a far cry from the sticky sweet blush of old. (Remember White Zinfandel? Winemakers have spent years trying to right that wrong.) If you closed your eyes when you took a sip of most rosés, you'd swear you were drinking a crisp white. Only there's a welcome smidge of fruitiness in there, too.
Some of my favorite rosés come from Provence. Jean-Luc Colombo and Domanine Sorin are a couple of my go-to producers. Like many sense memories, my fondness is tied to an incredible trip to that region in Southern France where I could not believe grapes grew in vineyards that looked like gravel pits. But it's that rocky soil that gives the fruit its character.
As much as I like French rosé, it's exciting to taste what vintners in Washington state are doing with this up-and-coming category, using a rainbow of grape varietals as the base for this not-quite-red wine. Some of those grapes include Sangiovese, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Grenache and Pinot Noir. Even the mighty Cabernet Sauvignon is tamed in this wine-making process, which calls for the skins to have contact with the juice for a short period of time after the grapes are crushed.
Seasoned wineries in the arid Tri-Cities area such as Barnard Griffin and Chinook have been making rosé long before it became trendy and consumers benefit. These veteran vintners make a rose that's got the richness of a red without the heaviness. That combo package is what makes rosés the perfect accompaniment for summer fare such as chicken and fish cooked on the grill. It's also one of the few wines that works well with salads dressed in tangy vinaigrettes. The Colombo 2008 Cape Bleue Rosé was a huge hit served alongside a Copper River sockeye salmon-topped salad made from tender organic greens from the farmer's market.
Best of all, these wines won't bust the budget. It's a cinch to find at least a dozen rosés under $15. Now that's sweet!
--Leslie Kelly
JAQO on June 10, 2009 at 05:12 AM
How can anyone with a functioning brain celebrate the imposition of conditions whereupon one can make wine? If I want to mess around with wine, that should be my business and the market would respond accordingly rather than having some protetionistic or governmental measures acting against such endeavours.