Summer in a Glass
by Leslie-Ann Sheppard
owner of The Cellar on Surfside Road.
Nantucket has enjoyed a glorious spring, and even if the calendar tells us that summer doesn’t officially arrive until June 21, Memorial Day weekend certainly signifies the start of the summer season for us. Seasonal stores and restaurants are open for business. Employees at busy summer venues half-jokingly tell their friends, ‘See you in September,’ as they prepare for the busy season. If there is a wine that embodies the spirit of summer, it is rosé. To repeat a now common catch phrase, rosé is “summertime in a glass.”
Rosé wine can be made from just about any red grape varietal. It is not the juice of the grape that lends its seductive pink hue; it is the juice’s contact with its red skins that give it the “bleed,” or saignée. As the grape clusters are pressed, the clear juice from the grapes begins fermentation with the grape skins. At some point shortly after the crush, the skins are removed from the juice, leaving behind their pigmentation, and a bit of the tannin found in red wines. Most rosés are fermented and aged without the use of new oak barrels, so the end result is pure fruit flavor without the interference of vanilla and oak.
In the South of France—notably Provence—red grapes naturally are more suitable to the climate than white grapes. But as the spring and summer heat up and the cuisine lightens up, the locals look for something to sip other than the big, full bodied red wines that are native to the area. Hence, the birth of rosé wine. The local winemakers provided a refreshing, cool, lighter alternative to their heavy reds.
Rosé wines from France are often vinifed from Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault. Cabernet Sauvignon, and Syrah, but again, can be made from any red grape varietal. Wine lovers can appreciate how such ‘pretty’ wines can be made from such potentially ‘masculine’ grape varietals.
Enter the Zinfandel grape. Unfortunately, the image of rosé suffered greatly from the mass production of American White Zinfandel from the 1970s to today. American wineries Sutter Home, DeLoach, Beringer and Mondavi were experimenting with the California grape Zinfandel and came up with an American prototype for rosé: sweet, “easy” wine lacking any real depth or acidity. It became a wine for non-wine drinkers. I remember my first experience with “white zin”: one of my friends served it to me over ice with a squeeze of lime wedge. Actually, it wasn’t a bad way to serve it. But definitely not for the serious wine drinker.
Amazingly, White Zinfandel is still the second most-popular wine type in the United States, accounting for over 20 million cases bought per year. It was the most popular varietal wine until the mid 90s, when Chardonnay took over the pinnacle spot, where it remains.
Some American wineries have come over to the more European school of rosé, and are producing drier wines that complement food. Excellent American rosés that I’ve tried recently are from Robert Sinskey winery, Inman Family vineyards, Elyse winery, and Coturri winery.
French rosé wines have earned international respect, and if you have had the good fortune to travel to Provence or the Cote d’Azur, chances are you’ve realized the pure bliss of sipping chilled rosé. There are many, many quality rosé wines from just about every French wine region and at all price points, from $7 up to $100. But some of my perennial favorites under $30 are Chateau Peyrassol, Domaine du Bagnol, Lucien Crochet Sancerre Rose, and Domaine Philippe Gibert Menetou Salon Rose. The latter two are actually from the Loire Valley, where Pinot Noir or Cabernet Franc produce complex, beautiful rosé wines.
And if price is not a concern, spring for Domaines Ott or Domaine Tempier from Bandol, the most sought-after Provencal address. Or, go all out for Chateau d’Esclans, whose upper-end bottlings actually are reminiscent of Grand Cru Burgundy or Champagne. Proprietors of these wines insist that if wine drinkers are willing to spend serious money for serious white or red wine, they will be willing to spend it on serious ‘blush’ wine as well. And I concur, these wines are pretty close to sublime.
France is not the only source for great rosé, however. Spain is now exporting many stunning examples of rosé wines. Bodegas Muga and Faustino, both traditional Rioja wineries, have delightful rosé offerings. Other wine regions have also joined the rosé renaissance; it is now possible to find rosé from Australia, Italy, Argentina, Greece, and probably almost every other wine-making region in the world.
At best, rosé wines will have lip-smacking acidity, ripe fruit flavors (often of strawberry or citrus) and enough body to stand up to most picnics. In the glass, rosé is sexy and enticing. Colors will range from a slight blush to a golden-tinged salmon to a deep raspberry and anywhere in between.
When choosing a rosé wine, look for the current release, if available. The most recent vintage would now be 2009, and rosé is a wine not meant for aging. ‘Better’ selections from 2008 should still be lively, but avoid anything older than that. Chill it as you would a white wine. Enjoy as an aperitif or with cold picnic foods like shrimp cocktail or cold roasted chicken. Pairing with salty food like prosciutto, or slightly spicy food like Thai is a wonderful combination. Rosé is also fabulous with grilled fish and vegetables. Or, just sip a glass on its own while relaxing on the deck as you toast to another summer season.
