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Home > Blogs > Uncorked > Archives > 2006 > July > 06
Thursday, July 6, 2006
A rose’ by any other name …
(Dayton Daily News photo by Jim Witmer)
Don’t let those overnight temps fool you. We’re poised to sweat through the dog days of summer, which gets me thinkin’ pink. And I’m not the only one. The Winds, which is featuring rosés this month and throwng its own ode to dry pink wines on Friday night, has been evangelizing for rosés for many years.
Hey — wait-a-minute. So have I. Let me just rummage around in the ole’ Dayton Daily News archives for a moment — ha! There it is! A story I wrote in July 2003 B. U. (Before Uncorked):
“When it gets hot and steamy outside, there’s only one drink of choice for the discriminating wine enthusiast: Beer. Oops, I mean rosé.
These beautifully hued wines capture summer in a bottle. But don’t be fooled by the color of these true roses - their taste bears little resemblance to the popular white zinfandels that share a similar ZIP code on the color spectrum. Roses are dry - sometimes bracingly so. And they just seem to taste best with mid-summer fare, from berries to ripe tomatoes to potato salad to burgers on the grill. Oh, and anything garlicky.
And they require little fuss. No need to swirl and sniff these straightforward lip-smackers. Don’t worry all that much about vintage years or when to drink the wine at its peak - the fresher the rose, the better. And they’re at their best cold. (Between you and me, I think it’s perfectly fine to put an ice cube into a glass of rose. Of course, I could never admit that in print … .)
Roses are made from red-wine grapes, sometimes by draining a portion of the lightest juice from a tank full of red wine (this has the benefit of making the remaining red wine more concentrated) or by separating the juice from the grapeskins - which contain the red-wine color - shortly after the grapes are crushed.
The best roses come from the Mediterranean - Italy, Spain and the south of France, where winemakers flourish at producing this style of wine from grenache, syrah, mourvedre and other warm-climate red-wine grapes. The standard-setter is the Domaine Tempier from the Bandol region of Southern France, but that wine has risen in price to the $25-$35 (2006 note: It’s now $30) range, and fresh vintages are sometimes difficult to find (another 2006 note: the price tag seems to have enhanced its availability this year. I’ve seen the 2005 Tempier in decent supply around town).
Fortunately, we don’t have to spend that kind of money to drink quality roses, European or otherwise. California winemakers are showing a deft touch in making roses, and the prices — especially compared to luxury chardonnays and pinot gris — are moderate.
So when the mercury rises, consider dipping your tongue into something cool and refreshing - a cold glass of rose. Just don’t get it stuck on the ice cube.”
I’ve tasted a raft of rosés in recent weeks, and I don’t know whether it’s the the 2005 vintage, or better winemaking, but the difference in quality between the most expensive and least expensive is narrowing. A $9.99 Verget Cotes du Luberon rosé is just as delicious as many that cost more. And Spanish and California rosés are delivering the flavor of their French and Italian brethren for fewer samoleons.
So as soon as the mercury creeps back up, start thinking — and drinking — pink.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
