A Foray Into Rosé
7:21 AM
Today we kick off the countdown to our annual
Epicurean Weekend. From Friday, October 30th to Sunday,
November 1st, BPI is open exclusively for this once in a lifetime
experience which embraces the food, drink, and a culture of a place far from
Prouts Neck. This year, Black Point Inn is gearing up to celebrate France, and
its legendary and unique culinary DNA.
What better way to start the celebration a few
months early than by filling our cups with one of France’s most unique wines -
Rosé.
What is Rosé, Really?
Not a grape or a region but rather a genre of
wine, Rosé is a wine named for its distinct hue-- rosé translates to pink in
French. Like red wine, it is made from red, black, or purple grapes. However
unlike its darker counterpart, the grape skins do not ferment in the grape
juice. The skins are left minimally in the juice from only a few hours to a few
days. Then the juice is strained and left to ferment, giving the wine its pink
pigment.
Provencal Rosé wines are usually made using the same
local blends used in making red wines.
Most Rosé wines from Provence are made using the Grenache and Cinsault
grapes or varietals, but some have been made using Mourvèdre. If you were to
line up several different bottles of Rosé, you’d note there is a wide variety
of colors spanning from the palest pink shades to bright candy-apple red. This
variation due to the grapes used in the production of the Rosé and the duration
of the skins’ contact with the juice.
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| A small glimpse at the Rosé color spectrum. Image courtesy of winefolly.com |
How to Pick Your Rosé:
Provence is the birthplace of the French
vineyard, wine has been created here for over 2500 years. It is also the home
of the only research institute entirely dedicated to the Rosé style of
wine. This fact is what makes French Rosé the most popular around the
world, and knowing this makes it difficult to choose a Rosé from any other
location!
From this region, rosés smell of strawberries
and raspberries, and tend to be fresh and dry in flavor.
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| The Provencal Region of France, an epicenter of French wine. Map courtesy of winefolly.com. |
You will want to select a Rosé that has not been
bombarded with added sweetness, which masks the unique rosé taste. Because Rosés
are relatively “young” compared to their red counterparts, you can expect not
to pay and exuberant amount for a high quality bottle of Rosé. A great bottle
of Rosé should not cost you more than $20-$25.00 at your local retailer.
Here we have compiled a list of our Top 4
choices, in no particular order.
- Charles Bieler et Fils Rose, Coteaux d'Aix en
Provence, France
- Commanderie de Peyrassol Rose, Tavel, Cotes du
Provence, Provence, France
- Chateau de Segries Rose, Tavel, Rhone, France
- Domaine
Tempier Rose, Bandol, Provence, France
So now let’s give it a taste.
How to Drink Rosé:
Firstly, you should expect to drink your rosé
within a year of its bottling, so do not hesitate to drink up. Note:
some Rosés do age, such as Peyrassol.
The old maxim was that rosé is a beverage for
warmer temperatures, and that actually remains very true. It is a very distinct
summertime wine because it is best served chilled. However, that tradition is
slowly making way for year-round rosé consumption.
Rosé tends to be a fresh, crisp wine which
evokes daydreams of a seaside lunch with bright Mediterranean inspired dishes. It
pairs well with richly flavored foods, so do not be afraid to get playful with
use. Rosé is viewed to be a versatile wine because it falls between the flavor
extremes of red (tannic and bold) and white (notably light) wines. As funny as
it may sound, if this is your first foray into rose I highly encourage you to
enjoy your first glass of rose with a simple grilled cheese sandwich (or a
Croque-monsieur!) – it is one of those perfect pairings!
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