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