Wine, Etc.: Rosés a perfect match for warm weather
By Tom Marquardt & Patrick Darr
We love summer. When temperatures soar and the party begins, it's the right time to serve something cold. If wine is your choice, then consider rose.
The lightly tinted wine made from red grape varieties is the perfect bridge wine for revelers divided between red and white wine. Unlike those winter cabernet sauvignons, rose's beauty is in its simplicity. Fans don't expect complexity or depth because there is none. No wonder, then, that in southern France, where rose reigns, local vacationers relax with a glass of omnipresent pink.
We go through cases of this wine because it is the drink of choice when friends arrive. Its crisp acidity and its fresh fruit character cool the body and add a festive note to the occasion. Furthermore, it is a great match to nearly any appetizer. We even like to serve it with grilled fare, including salmon, chicken and pork loin. It is a fixture at our Thanksgiving table too.
Typically, rose is made with the indigenous grapes grown in southern France: grenache, cinsault and syrah. But as other regions have entered the rose market, we have seen sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir used. We prefer the wines with grenache (or garnacha in Spain) because of the grape's fruity strawberry character. The French customarily blend all three grapes.Even Greece is in the rose game with its popular Kir-Yianni.
The color will range from bright pink to orange, and that is a result of which method the winemaker uses to tint the wine and for how long. Lighter-colored roses are created when the juice is left in contact with the skins for a short time as soon as the grapes are pressed on arrival at the cellar. When the must is pressed, the skins are discarded - unlike what would occur if the grapes were being used to created a traditional red wine.
The pinker wines come from longer fermentation of the red grapes. During this process, the winemaker bleeds off a certain amount of juice to obtain the color he is looking for. This process, called saignee, intensifies the wine and gives it more color and tannin. This is probably the reason we prefer the French roses. Other versions we have tasted from California and Italy are enjoyable for their fruitiness, but lack the delicacy of their French cousins. The roses from Provence even have a watermelon character that is very appealing.
Roses fade fast in the bottle, so be careful when you shop. Buy only wines from the 2010 vintage and don't plan to keep them for next year. For this reason, it is not uncommon for wine shops to exhaust their supplies by summer's end.
Here are some of our favorites:
France
Grand Veneur Reserve Rose 2010 ($12). This one from the Cotes du Rhone is ubiquitous in area stores and well worth its price. The blend is 60 percent grenache, 20 percent syrah and 20 percent cinsault. Look for strawberry and watermelon flavors with a dash of herbs.
Domaine de Saint-Antoine Rose Vin de Pays du Gard 2010 ($12). Simple but copious in bright acidity and strawberry fruit.
Domaine Sainte-Eugenie Rose 2010 ($12). From the Corbieres region of southern France, this blend depends on cinsault (75 percent) with the balance being syrah and grenache. Very different: bright, fresh raspberries and hints of mineral and dried herbs.
Chateau Grand Cassagne 2010 ($12). We buy this wine every year because of its copious fruit flavors that are very delicious. Deep in bright red color, it is a blend of grenache, cinsault and syrah. Made from grapes grown on 40-year-old vines, it is very aromatic and fruity.
Domaine de Fondreche 2010 ($12). We like this rose, a perennial in our cellar, for its delicate and beautiful color. It is a blend of 50 percent cinsault, 30 percent grenache and 20 percent syrah.
Chateau Montaud Rose Cotes de Provence 2010 ($11). Strawberries and citrus flavors abound in this terrific and popular wine from the Cotes de Provence. Good acidity.
Chateau de Campuget Rose 2009 ($15). From the Costieres de Nimes region of souther France, this strawberry-flavored rose is a blend of 70 percent syrah and 30 percent grenache.
La Petite Rouviere Rose 2010. This is a wonderfully lush and fruity rose from southern France with oodles of strawberry flavors and good acidity.
M. Chapoutier Belleruche Rose 2010 ($13). This reputable Rhone producer can be counted on to make a great wine, this one at a very reasonable price. This Cotes du Rhone blend uses grenache, cinsault and syrah grapes. It has a raspberry and cherry aroma, and grapefruit and raspberry flavors.
Chateau Rol Valentin Bordeaux Rose 2010 ($13). From Bordeaux, this is a unique blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. Deeper flavors of black berries and cherries.
Spain
El Coto Rosado Rioja 2010 ($12). This garnacha-based wine is very cherry-like, dry and a great complement to all things summer.
California
Alexander Valley Vineyards, Dry Rose of Sangiovese 2010 ($13). Crisp, vibrant and a no-brainer, this sangiovese wine has plenty of berry fruit and a nice, long finish.
Cline Mourvedre Rose 2010 ($14). This wine has copious strawberry, citrus flavors and bright acidity to make it a delicious, dry wine to pair with food.
Etude Rose 2010 ($20). Jon Priest's rose has been a surprise for its growing popularity. Like Etude's pinot noirs, it has better body than its competitors with strawberry and rhubarb flavors.