Pairing Rose

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Pairing Rose The wine world is suddenly catching on; there’s nothing wrong with drinking rosé.

In my time, I’ve heard people talk down rosé more than any other style of wine. Why? Some will say it was the rise of White Zinfandel that forever left a mark on rosé. People looked at a pink, sparkling glass and thought of grandma’s sweet summer wine or the cheap headache-inducing stuff they were poured at a wedding. Honestly, I don’t think this is the only reason. I believe that in some regions (especially New World), rosé has been the red-headed stepchild of many winemakers. Recently, we are seeing a significant rise in quality across the board.

Whatever the reason, rosé is making a comeback in a very big way. As I delved into the world of rosé, I found rosé from some of the most respected names in the business, and in some cases, winemakers that only make rosé and are very proud of it. Funny, when I think back only a few years, the chances of someone requesting a rosé were tiny, now it happens regularly. And why not? Rosé is the perfect balance between a red and white wine. It pleases on both levels and bridges the gap for a lot of wine drinkers. It’s the perfect summertime wine. What’s more, due to its diversity and multitude of styles, it’s excellent with a variety of cuisines from around the world.

The real challenge is that the category is huge, with rosé being made from more grape varieties than I could possibly recount. In France, rosé is often closer to the white spectrum, while Italian Rosato drinks more like a red. In Spain, they are racier and fuller, and in the States, the styles vary from producer to producer. The only way to tackle this is to jump right in. So, I started cooking and popping open bottles. What follows are the wines that I enjoyed the most and the recipes that were a perfect fit.

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teddz

880703 23

For me, the most obvious pairing of all is a big salade Nicoise, will all the classic ingredients: lettuce, green beans, tomatoes, olives, potatoes, tuna. You can fancy it up by using fresh tuna, but canned is just fine. Add a baguette and you'll think you're on a quai in Marseiiles.

Jun 22, 2012 at 2:04 PM
Eric Guido

Hand of Snooth Voice of Snooth

92549 60,855

That sounds fantastic, thanks for sharing.

Jun 23, 2012 at 2:31 PM
williamsim-
pson

120201 212

Salade Nicoise is a classic pairing teddz. Nb To please the Comite De Nice who do the "proper" recipe in French on the web, dont forget the hard boild eggs, anchovies and bit of green pepper !

Rose wines and food is big topic. Spanish roses are deeper pink and pair off with grilled kid, lamb as well as your normal seafood options like paella and deep fried baby squids in breadcrumbs. Mmmmmm.
We found Bandol Rose great with spicy dishes (unexpectedly including a minced lamb curry).
Pinot Noir d'Alsace is technically a red but its color is dark pink. Yet it marries up with beef surprisingly well.
Light Provence pinks obviously love seafood, chicken and salads and sunny days in village squares while you wait for the waiter to do his rounds before serving the english or americans!

Jul 03, 2012 at 9:08 AM
teddz

880703 23

Oops! Indeed, I forgot the eggs, but I've never been a fan of anchovies.
Along with the deeper pink Spanish roses are the Argentine ones we find easily in the US (based on malbec or cabernet rather than grenache). I'm not so fond of pairing these with red meat, except if the flavors are toned down by serving the food cold, as at a picnic. Would be fun to see if a Spanish mourvedre rose could fill in for your Bandol. If I recall, there are some deeply colored ones out there.

Jul 04, 2012 at 9:07 AM
Calamus

1121277 248

Love the pairings. I have a great herbe de provence blend from Eze that tastes great with roses on white fish, gambas, and light olive oil based dressings.

Jul 24, 2012 at 7:49 PM