This Summer, Rosé Joins the Party

When you’re sitting on the patio at Zazio’s, Cosmo’s, or your favorite Kalamazoo patio-inclusive restaurant this summer, you’ll probably expect to hear calls for Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio. Don’t be surprised, however, if you hear the whispers of rosé. Real rosé. I’m not talking about the sugar-packed run-off from zinfandel grapes that made Sutter Home famous. I’m talking about crisp, dry wine that spent just enough time in contact with grape skins to give it a little color, and is served cold on warm summer night with a spicy dish.

This type of rosé has been in its infancy for some years here in the States, but it’s getting bigger. And like an infant, you can’t physically see it getting bigger. One day, while picking out a bottle, you just notice how big the rosé section has grown, and you shake your head and say, “Wow! I remember when you were only this big,” as you hold your hand even with the top of the bottom shelf.

Well folks, rosé is growing up. This will be the summer when it achieves almost the same level of respect as its summer-white counterparts. Rosé is now, in a sense, old enough to join the party, and indeed you will see it at summer parties this year.

For starters, and especially important right now, most rosé is fairly inexpensive. This has to do with its production. You see, rosé comes from red grapes. Typically, red wine tends to cost more, but this isn’t because red grapes are more difficult or expensive to cultivate than white grapes. It has to do with the costs involved in what is done with them. Red grapes tend to be aged, often in expensive oak barrels. The juice from red grapes has to spend time steeped with its skin. The juice in virtually every red grape is actually fairly clear, like white grapes. Red wine gets its color from the skins. With rosé, all the costs involved with maceration and aging are eliminated. This keeps the price of rosé in line with white wines.

Secondly, rosé (o.k., MOST rosé) is dry. Again, a rosé made from a syrah grape is going to be just as dry as the red wine made from that syrah grape, it just won’t have the toasty oak notes. This makes the fruit more pronounced, which makes it better for chilling. The cheap rosés of yesteryear used methods of adding sugars that gave it that sweetness. Stay away from rosés starting with the word white, as in White Zin or White Merlot, and you probably won’t encounter that artificial sweetness. The fruit-forward notes in rose, coupled with its dry nature allow it pair nicely with many foods, and I particularly like rosé with spicy foods, like Thai, or meaty fishes. A spice crusted seared ahi tuna appetizer would be perfect.

Lastly, know how to pick out a nice, dry rosé. We know to stay away from the word white (unless that’s your style, in which case, please disregard this whole article), but what do we gravitate towards? My suggestion is to get out of the domestic section. The south of France has some of the best rosés in the world. Don’t be intimidated by the fact that French wines don’t list the grape on the label. Almost all French rosés are Syrah and Grenache, or a similar tasting grape. Italy and Spain also have some great rosés, and often at prices even lower than France. In some areas of these countries, they also don’t list the grape varietal, just the region. Talk to the wine professional in your wine shop about the different varietals. Remember, knowing or not knowing the varietal in a bottle of wine has absolutely no relation to how much you will enjoy it. Knowing that a bologna sandwich is a bologna sandwich still makes it a bologna sandwich. But hey, if bologna sandwiches are your thing, I recommend pairing them with a paper cup full of White Zinfandel, and don’t invite me over for dinner.

Check out the rosés are creeping in to your wine stores and favorite restaurants this spring. Cheers.