WTN/Wine Advisor: Think pink for spring

[Robin Garr]

Think pink for spring

There's something about warmer weather than makes a glass of crisp, dry rosé wine seem just right.

Some wine enthusiasts are wary about rosé because they've been disappointed by mass-market "blush" wines, which tend to be soft, sweet and one-dimensional.

But a true dry rosé is another shade of pink entirely - crisp and fresh and very food-friendly - and well worth getting to know if you haven't already been introduced.

Serious rosé wine is made from red grapes in a process that involves removing the grape skins (which impart the color) from the mix before they have bled more than a pretty pink color into the fermenting juice. The result is more akin to a white wine than a red; and like a white, rosé is customarily served refreshingly cold.

Dry rosé is made in just about every wine-producing region, Old World and New, but its roots are arguably in France. Today's tasting comes from the Southern Rhône, and like the region's red wines, is likely made from a blend of grapes that includes plenty of Grenache for its ripe, berrylike aromas and flavors.

Le Pavillon du Château Beauchêne 2006 Côtes du Rhône Rosé ($9.99)

Transparent reddish-pink, a true rose color. Ripe red-berry fruit and a whiff of fresh herbs on the nose. Crisp and dry, fresh strawberry flavor consistent with the nose, well structured by tart, quenching acidity. U.S. importer: Wine Adventures Inc., West Des Moines, Iowa. (April 24, 2008)

FOOD MATCH: Dry rosé works with a range of fare, from dinner salads to juicy burgers. It made an excellent match with Greek chicken baked in yogurt sauce.

VALUE: Excellent value at $10.

WHEN TO DRINK: With very few exceptions, rosé is best drunk up young and fresh.

WEB LINKS: The winery Website is available in French and English. Click "English Version" or "Entrer dans le site" from the home page,
http://www.chateaubeauchene.fr

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Find vendors and check prices for the wines of Le Pavillon du Château Beauchêne on Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/find/Beauc ... g_site=WLP

Subscribe to The 30 Second Wine Advisor

thanks for taking note of the pleasures of dry rose. i do have three comments. neither is intended to disparage ch. beauchene - a family i have met a couple of times and whose wines i very much enjoy.
1. rose' like many whites is typically enjoyed young. the 2007's have actually started to arrive and when possible those are the ones to drink. some 2006's are already getting a little tired.
2. the differences between northern and southern rose mimic those - per your comment - of white wines. in the south, red is the standard color for wine for good reasons concerning ripeness. in the north whites are more common. there are considerable stylistic differences between northern and southern rose's as there are for whites - having to do with acid and alcohol levels among others. personally, i have been enjoying northern rose's - sancerre primarily - more than southern ones for the same reasons i drink more northern whites. i like the lighter body and better acid balance.
3. you can pick grapes that will ultimatly be rose' wine one of two ways. either pick as if they were for red wine and then draw off the rose' by bleeding the red wine tanks - called saignee. the other is to pick as if you were making white wine - ealier and with more acid and less sugar. not surprisingly this makes a much different product - and in my opinion a much tastier product.

[Robin Garr]

i do have three comments.

Good comments they are, David. Thanks!

the 2007's have actually started to arrive and when possible those are the ones to drink. some 2006's are already getting a little tired.

personally, i have been enjoying northern rose's - sancerre primarily - more than southern ones for the same reasons i drink more northern whites. i like the lighter body and better acid balance.

I too like Sancerre Rose, but haven't seen any 2007's yet (we're still on '06 for Cotat here-incidentally, the 2007's are not labeled Sancerre -there was some land management dispute with the town of Sancerre I'm told.) My favorite Rose is from Bruno Clair in Marsannay, but I'd argue that the slightly simple, no-nonsense style of Provencal Rose is what it's all about and what all others should be judged by. But every region and country seems to make solid Rose. Hmmm, maybe not Italy...

Cheers,
Bill

[Robin Garr]

Hmmm, maybe not Italy...

I Campetti makes a pretty darn good Rosato in Massa Marittima ...

Hmmm, maybe not Italy...

I Campetti makes a pretty darn good Rosato in Massa Marittima ...

I knew I'd get a comment for that . I'll look for it Robin!

northern italy makes some fine rose - chiaretto from bardolino and grignolino from piemonte - these can be really wonderful. i'm sure there are others; but those are the well-known ones i've been able to try.

northern italy makes some fine rose - chiaretto from bardolino and grignolino from piemonte - these can be really wonderful. i'm sure there are others; but those are the well-known ones i've been able to try.

A lagrein rose made by a decent producer in Südtirol/Alto Adige in northeastern Italy is something worth seeking out.

...3. you can pick grapes that will ultimately be rose' wine one of two ways...

Actually, there is a third way, but it depends on the variety. A black or red grape variety that has very little pigmentation in the skins can be fermented as a red wine, with several days of skin contact. This is not common, but I do this every year with Steuben.

forgot about the 'gris' wines actaully. i believe some are made in loire.

I like dry rose especially with the right food match, but I must admit what I like even better is a rose with a bit of sweetness. Seems to be a very unpopular preference, as almost any time I see a post on a website about rose it points out how terrific "dry rose" is and will usually dismiss anything sweet as plonk.
My all time favorite rose of the "bit sweet" type was a Grenache Rose which had that bit of sweetness, bracing acidity, and a lovely nose and palette of strawberries and watermelon. I would always pick up a case or two in the early spring and drink and serve it with everything from grilled chicken to fiddle heads. Most of my guests loved it too! Alas, the winery was sold and the wine discontinued, and my question is, does anyone out there know of a wine that would closely fit such a discription? Gotta be one or two folks out there that don't only drink "bone dry" rose! Tom