Think Pink

During The Dog Days Of Summer

We have entered that time of year when we leave our air-conditioned house and get into our air-conditioned car. We enter our air-conditioned office, then at the end of the workday we reverse the process. Our only stop is at the air-conditioned wine shop to grab some wine to have with dinner.

Which wine should we choose when the dog days of summer are upon us? My advice is to think pink!

For many years, rose was the Rodney Dangerfield of the wine world. It got no respect. Most roses were found in 4-liter jugs and appealed to those who liked their wine sweet. The popularity of White Zinfandel reinforced the idea that all roses should be sweet.

More sophisticated European wine drinkers understood how refreshing a dry rose could be on a hot summer day, however. Now, it looks like wine drinking Americans have also caught on to that idea.

Most roses are made from red grapes. The red skins are kept in contact with the juice for a minimal amount of time during fermentation and the resulting wine is pink. The determined wine drinker can probably find a rose made from almost every commonly used red wine grape. Most rose wines, however, do not indicate what particular grape has been used. This gives the winemaker freedom to blend the wine to their specific taste expectations. The best roses are light-bodied with lovely fruit flavors and dry.

Almost every wine-producing region in the world makes rose. As their popularity grows, more and more roses are now available in your favorite wine shop. This year, I have found that the Spanish roses have been particularly tasty and relatively inexpensive. However, I have also enjoyed fine roses from France, Chile, Italy, California, Long Island, and Connecticut.

Rose is a wine for sipping and enjoying. They are not meant to be aged, rated, or intensely evaluated to pair with specific dishes. Just pull up a lawn chair, pop the cork (or twist off the cap), and enjoy!

(Newtown resident and wine enthusiast Steve Small is the general manager at Yankee Wine & Spirits on Queen Street.)