Pretty in Pink

I’m going to make a bold statement: Real men drink rosé. In fact, rosé is making a comeback as a dry, refreshing, and versatile food wine of many a savvy wine drinker.

If anyone doubts this conclusion, I point you to the website of Rosé Avengers and Producers, a vigilant group of rosé enthusiasts (their logo features a pink-clad trio of muscle-bound super heroes) dedicated to “righting the wrongs done to dry rosé.”

According to this international group of winemakers and wine drinkers, there’s been a 53.2% increase in rosé sales in the U.S. over the past year. I’ve seen it with my own eyes as I ring up customers young and old—many of them men—who dare to believe that rosé is not synonymous with cheap, slightly sweet tipple.

This last misconception, no doubt, is rooted in the popularity of California’s White Zinfandel—the ubiquitous eighties-era “blush wine” (technically a rosé) that won the hearts of Americans with its easy-to-drink, uncomplicated, fresh berry flavors and hint of sweetness.

But what exactly is rosé? It’s pink wine made from red grapes. Rosé is produced in a number of different ways involving abbreviated skin contact so as not to impart too much color or tannin to the finished wine. Rosé is made in a spectrum of colors from barely perceptible peach to pale cherry-red depending on the grape variety, length of skin contact and/or production method used.

So it seems that Americans are beginning to realize what many Europeans have known for ages—that not all rosé is sweet and that most dry rosés pair well with an array of foods from seafood to grilled meats, salads, and even spicy sauces, and that they deserve a place of respect at the dinner table as well as the barbeque.

So how can we ordinary citizens help the Rosé Avengers to right the wrongs done to dry rosé? Tune in to my next post for a selection of rosés that may just have you reaching for something pink the next time you drink.

Tags: wine | rose wine