Steve Calderwood's - "From the Grapevine"
Sunday, September 5, 2010
All We Are Saying Is Give Pink a Chance!

By Steve Calderwood

Ya gotta love it when the UPS guy shows up with two package, one full of cigars and the other requiring an adult signature. (A very big benefit of being a wine columnist is that you get to be on some vintners' new-release lists and whenever a package arrives that requires a signature - it's wine!)

This one contained two bottles of Jekel's riesling and two bottles each of Bonterra's sauvignon blanc and, lo and behold, two bottles of their new rosé, which just happens to be the subject of this week's column.

America is discovering rosé all over again. Yet there isn't anything in the U. S. wine community that has a worse reputation than rosés. And believe me, it's completely undeserved.

The main culprit is that vulgar creation called white zinfandel. As I have stated many times before, this beverage (I won't even call it wine) has only two purposes: 1) getting high-school boys some romance after the prom and 2) keeping grandma sedated at Thanksgiving dinner.

Because of it, almost all serious U. S. vintners have stayed away from making rosé wines. But that doesn't mean it isn't out there and if you find it, it can be absolutely delicious. The summer is still well upon us and this can be one of the most refreshing, enjoyable drinks for any outdoor activity. A rosé is normally relatively low in alcohol so you don't need to seek out a bed afterwards for a nap.

What is a rosé, or blush, wine? It's wine made from red grapes when the wine maker doesn't allow the juice to stay in contact with the skins, seeds and stems as long as with their red wine counterparts. This gives the wine just a hint of color and it doesn't take in all the tannins, so it's much lighter in texture.

When you taste a rosé, you should keep your expectations in order. A lot of people will taste a true rosé and expect it to have some of the attributes of a white zin. Nothing could be further from the truth.

White zins are sweet, rosés are bone dry (very little to no residual sugar). White zin tastes like soda pop, rosés quite often are tart (high acidity because of no malolactic fermentation) and can have hints of lots of different red fruit flavors.

Since U.S. wine makers aren't making much of it, where is it coming from? The southern French wine makers (rosé) and the Spanish (rosado) take their pink wines very seriously, which makes sense since both countries have very warm summers. In France, the main areas are the RhÃ¥ne valley, the Lanquedoc and the Loire valley. From the RhÃ¥ne valley, keep an eye out for Cote de RhÃ¥ne rosé and Tavel. In the Loire valley, two of the best are Rosé d'Anjou and Cabernet d'Anjou.

The Spanish will take almost anything and make a rosado out of it. Muga, one of Spain's most famous Rioja vintners, makes a Rioja rosado that is bright, fruity and tangy.

The new world, outside of the U.S., is also starting to take rosés seriously. In Australia, Turkey Flats makes an absolutely delicious grenache rosé that is perfect for sitting on the beach and swilling (don't let the cops see you, though). And Argentina and Chile are both coming out with some lovely pink wines.

Finally, as I said before, America is coming back around. The Bonterra dry rosé (which I'm enjoying while writing this -- life doesn't suck!) is a lovely blend of sangiovese, zinfandel and grenache with whiffs of strawberry and blackberry, a touch of spice and a round-mouth feel. On top of that, for all you hippies out there, it's made from 100-percent organically grown grapes.

Another beautiful example of California rosé is Tablas Creek's, which on the nose has white plums, watermelons and a hint of spice with strawberry flavors coming across on the palate. America is coming back with a vengeance.

The point is, don't be afraid of pink. Pretty much any time you're outdoors when it's hot, these wines make a perfect companion to almost any food. They're also serious wines that can just as easily be quaffed with your favorite friend while sitting on a porch.

And if your friends see you, freak them out and tell them it's a white merlot -- they'll be so confused!

That's it for this week so until the next time - wine a bit, you'll feel better.