por Ron James

May Gray and June Gloom are almost a memory as blue skies and sunny days return to our Uptown neighborhoods. For countless wine enthusiasts the warm days of summer mean it’s rosé time. While many Americans are just discovering the delights of a chilled rosé, the French, who have been producing it for over 2,600 years, are huge fans. They now consume more rosé than white wine.

A true rosé is dry, crisp and refreshing with its natural sweetness coming from the fruit. This festive, lighthearted wine can be made from almost any kind of red grape or blend of grape varietals. The characteristics of rosé very much reflect the grapes that go into it. The diversity of grapes used in rosé and the winemaker’s technique produces a beautiful array of wine colors, from light pink to dark salmon. And they are also very easy to drink – sometimes too easy.

A rosé is not to be confused with popular sticky semi-sweet Central Valley pink concoctions like white zinfandel or other blushes. White zinfandels, or “eye rollers” as some of our snobbier friends refer to them, were created by accident in 1975 when Sutter Home Winery experienced a “stuck fermentation.” Simply put, the yeast that processes the natural grape sugar to alcohol died prematurely during fermentation, leaving an excess of sugar in the wine and a reduction of alcohol.
The accident pleased winemaker Bob Trinchero and the semi-sweet, low-alcohol wine soon became extremely popular. The silver lining for true zin fanatics is that Trinchero’s accident saved many thousands of ancient zin vines from being ripped out and replaced by more popular varietals. Those gnarly vines now produce the best red zinfandel on the planet.
There are three generally accepted ways to make a traditional rosé wine. The first and perhaps best method is to intentionally make rose by grape skin contact with the crush. The skins are left in the crush until the winemaker feels it has the right amount of pink color and tannins – usually two to three days.
The second process is called Saignée, where part of the juice from red grape crush is removed , increasing the ratio of skin to juice to produce a more tannic and richer red wine. The juice that is removed is then fermented to make rosé.
The least acceptable method is by blending red and white wines. The problem with this method is that the final product only uses about 3 percent of red wine in the blend to give the wine a rose color. So the end product tastes more like the white varietals used in the blend than a traditional rosé.
You’ll find many great rosés (and whites for that matter) sporting screw caps. Don’t let that deter you; screw caps are great for fresh young wines. You don’t have to worry about corked wine (wine tainted with 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA)) and it’s a lot easier to open when you’re entertaining friends. So light up the grill and put on your party hat — it’s rosé time.
The Uptown Wine Picks
MY PICK: La Vieille Ferme Rosé 2006 AOC Côtes du Ventoux ($4.95)
I love a wine bargain and rosés are usually a real value, which is a great attribute for quaffable party wine. I discovered this gem at Trader Joe’s a few years ago and buy it by the case for my standard summer everyday wine. This rich pink wine is crisp and awash with floral, strawberry and raspberry flavors with a hint of caramel on the finish and is balanced with just the right acidity. It is a blend of 50% cinsault, 40% grenache and 10% syrah and fermented in stainless steel tanks. Serve it chilled.
Guest Picks:
CHRISTINA SANCHEZ, Whole Foods wine buyer: Bonterra 2007 Rosé ($13.99)
Poor Christina, she has to taste all of those great wines at Whole Foods. She smiles a lot. She did just that as she assured me that this was one of her very favorite rosés. It’s another blend of great varietals: 54% sangiovese, 24% zinfandel and 22% grenache. It’s organically grown and is chock full of summer berries and a bit of spice and balanced with a crisp acidity.
BOBBY O’CONNOR, wine buyer for The Linkery and JAY PORTER, owner of the Linkery: Jenke Vineyards Rosé of Cabernet Franc, 2008, Barossa Australia
Bobby buys the wine for the Linkery and he’s picked an almost fluorescent salmon-colored rosé that’s a bit hard to find outside of the restaurant. He’s gone down under to the Jenke family who have six generations of Australian winemaking under their belt. This rosé has the familiar rosé flavors of strawberries and cherries with the crisp full finish we expect from a fine summer wine. Try this one soon at the Linkery; with only 150 cases shipped to the U.S., the Linkery is one of the few places you’ll find it in town. They offer this wine by the 2-ounce taste, 5-ounce glass or by the bottle.
The Last Drop
Selecting wines for a newspaper audience can be a tricky business, especially considering the diversity in Uptown. Many of you will love our picks and discover some great new wines. And some will disagree with our picks or have suggestions for future picks. We welcome your comments and suggestions and will print as many of them in upcoming issues as possible.