Rosé

Hey guys! Our summers are full of get-togethers and barbecues and a lot of time they are last minute with no time to prepare much to take. So my go-to for these summer soirees is usually a bottle of Rosé. I am always torn on what kind of wine to bring, I am personally a red wine girl but that's not usually the best choice for a hot summer wine. Rosé is typically crisp an dry so their pair great with similar foods such as light salads/ pasta and seafood (raw or cooked), perfect for summer cuisine. 
My good friend Nicole is a wine maker in Washington state so I got her insight on everything Rosé.

First off the different colors of Rosé always confuse me, I always heard that the lighter the Rosé is the sweeter it is, which Nicole confirmed is not true. " The different colors come from how long the grapes have sat on the skins in a process called maceration.  We separate the juice from the skins once it gets a level that the winemaking team is looking for.  The colors don’t have any indication on sweetness although some of the public thinks so.  To sum it up, its pretty much a level of opinion.  The market trends towards lighter rose (more of a salmon color) being more popular right now so you will see that more in grocery stores."

My next questions was how to pick out a good bottle of Rosé.  I loved when she told me there is no shame in picking out your favorite label...that's usually how I do it! 
But if you really want to get down to business she also shared this, " A Rosé with shorter skin contact will have a lighter color, they tend to have more fruit characteristics, bolder citrus notes & good acidity.  Longer skin contact lends to a darker color and more tannins on the mouth feel.  Don’t be afraid to taste test.  Even if you typically enjoy sweeter wines, try a dryer style rose.  Often the fruit characters will present as sweetness are
delicious!"

Okay, so now we have our bottle of Rosé now what? " Rosés are best served at 7-13 C.  After opening the bottle don’t put back into the fridge, but let the bottle sweat on the table this will bring out the wines aromas and the character will change slightly as the temperature slowly rises.  I wouldn’t recommend putting ice in your rose. 

Rosé recommendations:
I love our local Sandhill winery so I tend to always grab their Rosé ($19)
Nicole recommends Charles and Charles Rosé ($12)

I hope you guys liked today's post! I love wine but am always at a loss on what to buy so I often call on Nicole to help me navigate. She has agreed to help me with future posts so maybe I will do one this fall to help with your wine selections for Thanksgiving! 

Much Love,