We're having a heat wave...

...A tropical heat wave,
The temperature's rising,
It isn't surprising,
She certainly can, can-can.

It's nearly 80 degrees here in my new mid-Atlantic home--by far too warm for April, says this transplant from the frozen North. But, the good news is, more time to enjoy Rosé!

Sparkling or still, Rosé is the beverage of choice to pair with spring vegetables and summer fruits. Try a dry sparkler with BBQ or a juicy, but high acid, Rosé with potato salad. I've said this before, and I'll say it again, a heirloom tomato salad with fresh basil and cheese (I'm enjoying chevre right now) is an excellent compliment to dry whites and Rosés.

Rosé can be made with any red grape. My favorites, because of the natural herbaceousness tend to be Rosé of Cabernet Franc and Syrah.

Recommendations:

If you're lucky enough to live where Chinook Wines (Washington) are distributed, buy the Rosé of Cabernet Franc before it's too late. It usually sells out within a couple of months (if not weeks). Perfectly balanced acidity, dry with a mineral and floral nose (depending on the vintage), this wine is one of my favorites.

Washington does dry Rosé very well. As usual, Chateau Ste. Michelle's Nellie's Garden Dry Rosé is a solid and affordable choice.

French Rosés are usually a value, and they led the charge for bringing back the dry style. Thank goodness--the 1980s and White Zin almost ruined Rosé for everyone!

A Rosé By Any Other Name…

Call it Blanc de Noir, blush, Vin Gris or Rosé, pink wines are gaining popularity in the U.S. for good reason. Wine neophytes often find blush style wines, like White Zin (the wine craze of the late 1970s) with their uncomplicated structure and high sugar content approachable. Wine enthusiasts find dry Rosé to be refreshing--with depth, character and tannin structure fuller than white wine. From the pinkish orange of a tropical sunset to an intense, near purple, the color of a Rosé will depend on a winemaker’s choices.

Skin Contact
The hue of a Rosé will depend, in most cases, on the length of contact a wine has with the grape skins. For a winemaker who sets out to make a Rosé, the grapes will be crushed, and the juice allowed to sit with the skins for anywhere from an hour to two days. As the tannin of a wine will depend on how long the wine is exposed to grape skins, stems and seeds, the longer a Rosé stays with these materials, the greater the tannins.


Saignée
French for “bleeding”, the saignée method of Rosé creates a wine from the by-product of red wine. Many winemakers choose to create intense red wines—one way to concentrate flavors is to reduce the wine by removing some of the juice during the maceration or fermentation process. The wine removed has tannin, but is still a Rosé wine.