We are delighted every time we pour a Rosé wine at a wine tasting in our overlook or at one of our many in-store tastings. Why? At Cool Springs Wines & Spirits we are dedicated to introducing as many cool types of wines, such as Rosés, to as many wine drinkers as possible. The inevitable always happens, “What is that you have there? White Zinfandel? No! It’s a Rosé.” We are yet again into a time of year where Rosé wines really show their value. When the going gets hot, the Rosé starts flowing. If you have never had a Rosé, do not waste a minute more, and read on.
So what is a Rosé wine? Start off by making a red wine using red wine grapes. Allow only limited skin contact and then remove the skins. Some coloring takes place but not enough to make a true red wine. These wines are dry by the standard of the red wine grape(s) being vinified. There are some tannins and acids in these fresh and crisp wines. Some are lighter bodied than others while other Rosés are fuller bodied. A huge quantity of Rosé and Rosado wines are consumed in France and Spain during the summer months and at other times throughout the year. Imagine the luxury of having a red wine during the hot summer months that is chilled and is very refreshing. What a concept! Think patio, deck, picnic and summer foods and delightful Rosé wine.
Rosés from the Alsace or the Rhüne valley are delicious and affordable. So are the wonderful Rosado wines from Spain. These thirst quenching wines offer wine lovers the world over varying flavor profiles and structures. They can be enjoyed on their own or with a dizzying number of foods. Think in the box, drink a wine made from red wine grapes, chilled in the summer time. Think outside of the box, cool, refreshing wines whose flavors are those of your favorite red wines. Again, wow! What a concept!
Let’s look at this from another angle. Rosé and Rosado wines are great wines. They are not restricted to summer time and hot weather consumption. These types of wines are great served as an aperitif in a structured flight of wines. These wines are great as a stand alone wine. These wines can be consumed any time of the year even on a frigid winter’s eve. Think smoked salmon, chilled Rosé, roaring fire in the fireplace and your favorite companion.
Rosé comes from famous wine regions of the world as well as the well as places off the beaten path. There are even extraordinary sparkling Rosé wines. Fabled champagne producers such as Dom Pérignon produce Rosé champagnes. In the Alsace region sparkling wines made by the champagne method are called Crémant DíAlsace and there are Rosé versions of this sparkling wine. Amazing Rosé wines which are very affordable. There are also wonderful still Rosé wines from the Alsace. Pierre Spaar makes both a Brut and a Brut Rosé. We can move on to the southeastern part of France in the Rhüne valley. Many wonderful Rosé wines are made in this region. There is even a Rhüne appellation that only makes Rosé wines. Imagine that, an Appellation d’Origine Cüntrollée (AOC) exclusively for Rosé wines. This area is called Tavel. Up to nine different Rhüne grapes can be used to make these bone dry full bodies wines. The Rosé from this appellation are extraordinary, CSWS has delightful examples of these wines. Fundamentally, it really doens’t matter if a Rosé is from a premier house, a fabled wine region, or made with grapes you recognize, try one. Argentina even produces delicious Malbec based Rosados.
You do not have to be gazing at the Mediterranean Sea under a hot sun with Briget Bardot to enjoy a Rosé. Simply modify this image to your own American back yard. The weather is the same and so is the bottle of Rosé. The only difference is our interpretation of the two images and what Rosé wines are not – they are not sweet blush wines but fabulous, dry wines with lovely characters. A Rosé wine can be paired with smoked ham, pulled barbeque pork, a grilled Rib eye steak, or hamburgers. Try a Rosé from Provence, the Languedoc, the Alsace, the Loire, and the Rhüne valley or maybe a Garnacha, Mazuelo or Tempranillo based Rosado from Spain.
In watching our great selection of Rosé and Rosado wines continue to grow, we at Cool Springs Wines & Spirits know we have some of the best wines for spring and summer. Rosé wines show how clever and creative we human beings can really be when we set our minds to it. Now the task for us is simple, open and enjoy.
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