Think Pink

Our rosé guide will help you enjoy the versatile pleasures of a wine in its peak season.

BY CYNTHIA A. MURRAY

At the Jersey Shore, we look forward to summer because it means the sun is shining, beaches are open, schools are out—and rosé season has officially begun!

Eternally chic, fun, tasty and tantalizing, dry rosé first became popularized on the cosmopolitan beaches of Europe. The Provence region in the South of France put this pink elixir on the map, with vintners blending local Grenache and Syrah grapes from breezy vineyards on the Mediterranean Sea to produce a lovely, dry wine—best served chilled—with alluring aromas of flowers, spices and herbs.

Once dry rosé became a global sensation, more regions began to explore its production—because winemakers love drinking rosé, too! Using red grape varieties that experience a briefer period of skin contact with the juice than is the case when crafting a red wine, dry rosé is a great option whether someone likes red or white.

Rosé plays well with a multitude of dishes and cuisines. White fish, salmon, tuna, shellfish and sushi; chicken, pork and turkey; salads, cheeses, olives and charcuterie; burgers, hot dogs, red meats and pasta; spicy foods and Mediterranean fare— the amazingly versatile dry rosé matches it all!

In recent years, some of the most intriguing rosé wines have hailed from places like the Loire

Valley in Northern France. Two examples are Sancerre rosé, made of 100 percent pinot noir, and Chinon rosé, which is 100 percent cabernet franc. These have a more mineral character than their Provençale counterparts and are more structured, very crisp, quite dry and glorious with highquality seafood.

On islands like Corsica or in Puglia on the Adriatic Sea, dry rosé tastes light, breezy, fresh and mouthwatering. You can imagine a platter of conservas, cheeses, olives and cured meats with a pink shimmering glass of rosé overlooking the sea. In Tuscany, winemakers produce beautiful, deeply colored rosato that envelops your palate with ripe cherry, sweet herb and licorice notes, yet still is completely dry. Another outpost worth mentioning is Slovenia, with wonderfully salty, tangy, organic rosés. And a singular California estate is blending organic Piemontese grapes to make a rose petal-, cherry- and plumflavored beauty.

We love to drink rosé all year round, but summer is its high season, so let this refreshing and deservedly popular seasonal favorite enhance your shore experience.

Domaines

Ott By.Ott

CÔTES DE PROVENCE, FRANCE $27.99