In the Mediterranean countries, rosé is synonym of summer, it is typically dry and displays fresh fruit flavors usually leaning to strawberry, raspberry or peaches.
Of course most wine connoisseurs will sneer when rosé is mentioned, but sales are on the rise in the US: think of it as nice, crisp, fairly low in alcohol wine, a perfect aperitif, then it grows on you and before you know it, you have enjoyed your rosé throughout the meal, as I often do!
In fact while recently vacationing in St Barth, we drank rosé every meal- just like everyone else- all the restaurants were offering at least a dozen different bottlings.
Rosés, although having to overcome the image problem brought on by the dreaded “white zinfandel stigma,” are perhaps the most versatile and food-friendly wines around.
The wines are the product of keeping the red grape juices in very short contact with red grape skins, typically 2 or 3 days.
Rosés are wonderful substitute to the heavy Chardonnays or big reds and of course, as a rule, they are much more affordable.
The shelves of our local wine shops will give you lots of choices: US growers are steadily introducing more “not white Zin” rosés. My favorites (inspired by my origins: I was weaned on them!) are from Provence, Languedoc and the Rhone. The Loire rosés are are also an option to taste but have the tendency to be sweeter.
So, I’d encourage you to buy a few different bottles and experiment. I know you’ll enjoy it and I hope you thank me for it!
Rosé: Santé!
