WTN: I love Rose'

I have a confession to make.

I love rosé.

No, it’s not the “Sure, Hoke, everyone likes a little pink wine every now and then,” or “Gee, Hoke, rosé is nice in summer when it’s hot ; everybody knows that,” or even “Well, yeah, it’s okay for a picnic wine, maybe.” Not what I mean at all.

I mean that I really love rosé.

I always have, actually. Just hid that love away, kept it a secret, never talked about it much, and indulged in it only now and then in public. ... But now I’m out, and I’m pink (and coral and orange and peach), and I’m proud. I love rosé.
http://www.violentfermentation.blogspot.com

Chateau Bas L’Alvenergue Coteaux d’Aix en Provence 2008 Rosé. Served with Fresh Boiled Scampi and steamed Dungeness Crab, and three cheeses. And you know what? It was perfect. A delicious perfume of aromatics belying the delicate pink-orange-peach color, and staunchly dry and briskly crisp and acidic on the palate with tart raspberry, tart cherry, some pear, some peach, a little mango. I’m thinking Grenache, Syrah…but those are fairly safe grapes to think, since this is Provence, after all, and those are two of the mainstay grapes for the region (I checked,and there's some Cinsaut in there too). Perfect counterpoint to the sweetness of the Dungeness and scampi, as well as the fat glossiness of the rich cheeses.





This is food wine, people! It’s not some sippy little inconsequential pinkoblush wine, not on your life. This is…I’m gonna go ahead and say it---serious wine. Seriously tantalizing in the nose, seriously satisfying in the taste. There was no want, there was no need for more---no red wine needed, and no white wine would have been quite as appetizing with the food, the occasion, and the evening.

(Pssssst! Don't go shouting it out everywhere, but this little darlin' cost a whole $8.)

Hope you like Rose' too---because I'm going to be finding a lot more of these beauties and telling you about them.

Oh, and I don't mind if you start calling me by a new nickname: M'sieur Rose'. I like that too.

[David M. Bueker]

I never used to like Rosé. Now I really like it. I haven't branched out too much, but wines like Steve's Bone-Jolly & the Pali Sunset have gotten me completely hooked.

I never used to like Rosé. Now I really like it. I haven't branched out too much, but wines like Steve's Bone-Jolly & the Pali Sunset have gotten me completely hooked.

This is how it begins.

Hoke, Hi....

Welcome to the club. I came out years ago, my earliest affairs with rosé having taught me rather quickly to put aside those so-called "off-dry" sluts and to focus on those that were crisply elegant and superbly seductive. The sluts may catch our eye for a moment but the elegant make us fall in love.

Best
Rogov

The older I get the more I drink wine to match food and to match weather. In the summer rose' is a must as I find it hard to drink big reds. Have to admit that I do not drink rose' in the colder months.
Walt

The older I get the more I drink wine to match food and to match weather. In the summer rose' is a must as I find it hard to drink big reds. Have to admit that I do not drink rose' in the colder months.
Walt

Understood, Walt, because I used to follow those same habits/attitudes toward rose' myself.

Now I drink more in the spring/summer months---because rose' is still so perfect for those times----but I also drink rose' at other seasons too. Primarily because I tend to think of rose' more often as a food accompaniment; it simply goes with the foods I'm eating on a regular basis. And it functions better than a big red wine would in many of those circumstances. Take a good hearty cioppino/fishserman's stew, for instance. A good, crisp, dry and wondrously fragrant rose' would be much better than almost any red, and it would serve better than most whites. The food wouldn't kill the wine, and vice versa, you see what I mean?

The important thing, to me, is to look for the right kind of rose'! And more and more, that means Provencal Rose' (they make their wine as rose', not a castoff byproduct of red wine production, and the style is perfect for food), high acid stuff like Pinot Noir Rose/Vin Gris, and truly individual gems like Steve's Bone-Jolly.

What I'm not as excited about, increasingly, is the abundance of heavy-handed and sugar-laden "dry rose'" products out there. A lot of these are the saignee styles, where they are just concocting reds to be trendy rose'. Usually don't have the balance, and the elegance (as in what Rogov was referring to in his post) or the intensity or the force majeur that the good roses have.

Tell you what: experiment a little, like wine geeks are prone to do. Get a Provencal Rose', save it until the weather turns, serve it with something spicy, and see if it doesn't give you a thrill. Hey, what've you got to lose????

Cordially, M'sieur Rose'

Take a good hearty cioppino/fishserman's stew, for instance. A good, crisp, dry and wondrously fragrant rose' would be much better than almost any red...

That may be 'hearty' food for the blessed Californians, but I think Walt may be eating something a little different during his Deep Winters

[Jenise]

I never used to like Rosé. Now I really like it. I haven't branched out too much, but wines like Steve's Bone-Jolly & the Pali Sunset have gotten me completely hooked.

This is how it begins.

Won't be long before he's drinking Tavel.

Yes, I love rose.
While I certainly drink less rose in the colder month, it's actually a great foil for some holiday party foods like a ham, or that matter the whole Thanksgiving combo.
I like a variety of styles, from Loire to Piedmont as well as the classic Southern French appellations. And ESJ, and then of course there are the truly idiosyncratic versions like the LdH Tondonia rosado.

Hoke,
Any chance your food habits have changed a little to lighter cuisine? I have trouble matching food to rose and may be because of what we usually eat. I agree on the big heavy handed rose'. My preference is somewhat light with some acidity.
Walt

I absolutely love Rose with a caprese salad made with succulent tomatoes (heirloom preferrably), creamy mozzarella and ribbons of fresh basil. Add some olive oil, a little balsamic and s&p and its a match made in heaven.

You're all a bunch of sissies!

Oswaldo, Hi.......

Now if you had said that some of us lust after the Cuban model Sissi, you might have been closer to home. I will not post it here, for even though I consider it not the least bit pornographic or even erotic it might offend some but a photo of Sissi can be seen at http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=5728345

Best
Rogov

Awesome! I was only into Brazilian supermodels, but no more...

Oswaldo, Hi.......

Now if you had said that some of us lust after the Cuban model Sissi, you might have been closer to home. I will not post it here, for even though I consider it not the least bit pornographic or even erotic it might offend some but a photo of Sissi can be seen at http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=5728345

Best
Rogov

Oye como va indeed.

Can I have Rose' with that?

I have a confession to make.

I love rosé.

If we're talking about, say, Dom Perignon Rose then I most definitely agree!

I can't say I'm that familiar with still pinks. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing...

Jeff

agree with rose' love. spent 2 weeks in france and drank - with friends - at least one bottle of rose every day - often more - bordeaux, chinon, sancerre and surroundings since that is where we were. brought back mostly rose' as well. just bought rose flowers to match my wine choice too.

have to agree with a preference for provence stuff - made by direct press; but also love loire rose' - the lightness and balance come through usually because even the red wines have lower alcohol and higher acid - so saigne works. had a Muga Rioja Rose' recently that also was wonderful. Haven't been able to get into Tavel or Cotes du Rhone Rose' - just too alcoholic and too low in acid. have been fortunate to have a couple of bottles of pretty rare Touraine Noble Joue while in france. love it!

have also had a couple of really good CA rose wines - one from Scott Harvey under the Jana label; and the other from Hart in Temecula.

David, I'd say your rose' priorities and mine are pretty much in synch.

First, Provencal, then Loire. Probably some Spanish after that. Some Italians. Then Rhone and other places. Gets highly selective after that, with lots of pickin' and choosin'.

And I'm not totally down on saignee. After all, the Provencal allow that too. It's just that in a lot of areas where you find saignee, the emphasis is on making red wines, and the rose' is an afterthought instead of the primary focus. And as a result, saignees from those areas/producers have a heavier feel and a different texture, and usually different aromatics, which taken together make the wine less appealling than a vin de presse Provencal would be.

[David M. Bueker]

Don't forget rosé Champagne! Maybe it's not the focus of this thread, but I love the stuff!

I never used to like Rosé. Now I really like it. I haven't branched out too much, but wines like Steve's Bone-Jolly & the Pali Sunset have gotten me completely hooked.

Three words David, Chateau de Lancyre! The 2007 is a 50% syrah, 40% grenache, and 10% Cinsault, and it is really really delicious. The only fault I can find with it is that the price has been creeping up the last few vintages. I do still buy it, but then I am a Lancyre slut! OH! and it ain't pink, but it is delicious, but if you find it try the Rousanne too.

Bob H, right on. The `07 pinkie is here along with the `07 La Louviere white.

Bob H, right on. The `07 pinkie is here along with the `07 La Louviere white.

Bob, are they still calling the rousanne La Rouviere in your market? It seems that they dropped that name in the 2005 or 06 vintage and now just call it rousanne. It used to be 90% rousanne and 10% viognier, and is now 100% rousanne unless I am mistaken, but I don't think I am. I know the 2006 here is simply called rousanne because I had a bottle of it yesterday.

Sorry, correction. La Rouviere!

Yup, label says `07 La R with roussanne in small print at bottom of label.

http://devinewines.ca/product.html?id=5950

How was the `06 Bob? This white can stand some cellaring maybe? Might be one white one might decant.

Sorry, correction. La Rouviere!.

I was wondering why we were suddenly in Bordeaux blanc!

I like rose from a lot of places, the only place I can think of where I've had multiples without being impressed is Bordeaux. I would assume those are saignee, though I don't know for sure.