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When I used to think of Rosé, it conjured images of early summer or
pizza. While both of these images are fitting, they don't tell the
entire Rose-story.
It was Akiko who first turned me on to Rosé years ago and it was via the
Pizza route. An Italian Rosé pairs perfectly with a Margherita Pizza
and pairs beyond perfection if you throw a little prosciutto on top of
the pie for the last couple of minutes in the oven. However, pizza is
not the only gateway for Rosé. There is a wide range of foods that taste
better with Rosé.
Rosé and anything Pork are an even better combo than the traditional
Rosé and Pizza. Bratwurst, Pork Chops, Roast Pork, Barbeque Ribs,
Grilled Pork Belly; in short everything except probably bacon, which is
overworked these days anyway. Instead of bacon try some heartier seafood
like barbequed scallops, shrimp or lobster.
Oven roasted potatoes as a side dish? Absolutely, it is a fantastic
match. Chardonnay is the typical pair for Roast chicken, but it sure
doesn't work with turkey. Remember on Thanksgiving Day that Rose pairs
with both. Speaking of the holiday season, holiday hams either fresh or
cured are another tough pairing. White wines often don't stand up to
them and reds over power them. That is an oversimplification, but
nonetheless Rosé fits the bill extremely well. For New Years Eve try
Pigs in a Blanket with some Rosé.
I just made a lot of claims and suggested a lot of food pairings without
supplying the reasoning behind them. You'll notice that most of the
foods I mentioned don't have heavy sauces or complex flavorings. They
tend toward the simple salt, pepper, a little olive oil and maybe a
condiment or gravy. These are exactly the kinds of food that benefit
from a crisp fresh tasting wine to freshen the palette, but they have
enough flavor of their own to require a wine with a little more body.
The wine I just described, it should be no surprise is our Rosé. It is
crisp and bone dry with enough light red fruit character and plenty of
body to pair up with everything mentioned.
The widely held belief that Rosé is summer time drink results simply
from typical production timing. Most Rosés are finished fermenting and
ready for bottling in the spring and thus ready for sale in summer. Make
no mistake about it, Rosé is great in the summer, but it does just as
well or perhaps even better at other times of the year.
As it happens, we are fast approaching the perfect time of year for
drinking Rosé. The foods that we are going to be eating this season and
the temperature changes are a perfect match. A good Rosé is supposed to
be a crisp and refreshing, but not necessarily chilling drink - almost
as if it were designed for watching the leaves color or raking them up
in your yard. Based on food and weather compatibility Rosé Season lasts
through New Years and possibly beyond -think apres ski.
Cheers! - Chris & Akiko
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