Everytime I think about a nice warm summer afternoon, Rose is what comes to mind. I am always surprised at how many wine drinkers, especially that like reds, don’t migrate to this as the weather warms. I picked up a Pinot Noir Rose from Acacia in Carneros this spring which tasted fabulous and can’t wait to break it out. Enjoy the weekend all…

Haven’t had a lot of pink. Most of it has been out wine tasting in CA. Haven’t come across a variety that outperformed the other white/reds on sale. But my mind is open so I may find something eventually.

QOTD: In general, roses are great dinner party starter wines. They match up well with a wide range of appetizers.

Roses are so good this time of the year with backyard BBQ’s. Barbecued pork and a Tavel or Grenache based rose, yum. You mentioned Rosatos yet there are none in the Wine Library list unless I don’t know how to find them and those are my favorites.

I stand corrected. Just ordered 3 bottles of 2007 Cantalupo Rosato of Nebbiolo.

I love rose wines! They are the perfect wine to just kick backa nd relax with.

Love your show. Just got turned onto it today. I think you do a great job communicating with the public. Excellent!

GV,

I can’t wrap my gigantic cranium around rose because of three simple words:

Sutter Home White Zinfandel

Regards,

R. Bradley

Product of the Public Schools

QOTD: LOVE rose- was on a major rose kick last summer (thanks to you and the T-show), and I actually did throw back some steamers with a bottle a couple of times. Enjoyed it with some lighter cheese too. Good stuff!

Love rose, always makes me know that summer is on its way when I start to see roses on offer at my wine shop. It just makes me think of backyard afternoon barbeques immediately.

started trying Roses and Granache specifically since your review a hundred episodes ago (or less?). I will have one tomorrow evening again! 2007 Mulderbosch Cab Sauvignon Rose from South Africa. I’ll let you know the sniffy snif and whirley whirl.
QOTD: I like dry roses. It’s like buying a Pontiac, it’s only for a few stand-alone folks that are not in the normal flow. smile.

Malbec roses are my new favorite. Nice and jammy & full.

The two standout rose wines I’ve had, I have to say, were Sideshow’s La Rosa, and a rose by Frenchhouse. I think they were about 9 and 12 dollars, respectively.

The Sideshow was really enjoyable. Not as stark and acidic as some of the white wines I had tried in the past – not a huge fan of white but I’m learning more about it all the time – but not as full flavored as the reds I was accustomed to drinking. I totally think this would make a nice cheese-and-bread-for-dinner kind of wine. Cool, picnic-y, and decent strawberry/cranberry/white grape juice kind of combo if I recall correctly. Pretty awesome in the winter time if you want a cool pick-me-up from all the stifling indoor heat.

The Frenchhouse I had originally picked up because I could FIND the Sideshow at my local store but I really was in the mood for a lighter wine. And this really delivered. I remember it living up to the name by being very floral scented which definitely followed through on the flavor. Again, another cool but not sharp like white wine flavor. Way subtle, almost maybe a little like a mild honeydew with raspberries and little wild strawberries.

The Frenchhouse was a definite winner and I really do enjoy the Sideshow on a very casual level, and I would be very interested to try more of this type of wine. White wines tend to attack my tongue with their acidity, I feel like rose brings the same kinds of flavors without the serious tongue attack.

As far as pairing cheeses with rose, I’d totally recommend getting a really nice herbed goat cheese spread and some good crusty – maybe even sourdough – bread. The creamy cheeses I think work better with milder wine like white and rose. I’d have those REALLY good hard cheeses (mmm….. manchego) with bold bold red wine.

Oh, and R. Bradley: Dude, Sutter Home? White zin? Man. You’ve done yourself a disservice! Sutter Home wines have really been disappointing across the board from everyone I’ve talked to, and white zinfandel is not the same as Rose. Next time you wanna go grab a white, try looking around for the Roses. They seem to be somewhat rare in the stores in NH, but there are a few gems in the aisles. Give it a shot, you might like it despite the letdown from the Sutter Home.

Gary, keep up the good work, I think you really are helping to change the wine world because up until recently I have to say I didn’t really THINK about the wine I was drinking. It’s really brought wine to a whole new level of enjoyment. So thank you for sharing your passion, and your Gonzo approach to wine review, with all of us.

QOTD: Roses just aren’t even on my radar. I usually don’t see them and I don’t really try them because I generally assume that white zin is getting pushed on me and that is blah….

Dry rose tastes to me like someone took a good bottle of dry, tannic red, emptied about a third of it and topped it back off with a water hose.

I’m not one of those guys who will not drink rose because “it’s for chicks”. I’ve tried a bunch of ’em & would love to find a dry one that I could enjoy – haven’t found that yet though. If I have to drink a rose, I prefer one with a little sweetness, as long as it is acidic too.

It’s probably a good entry to wine though. My entry wine was Georges DeBoeuf Beaujolais. High five!

QOTD: I’ve had a few rose’s but I haven’t liked any of the ones I’ve tried. It’s not because it’s pink or anything, because I love pink. I just haven’t found one that I would enjoy drinking.

you wanted a thesis – this will be more of a diatribe

sorry

never had a rose’
maybe it’s the color pink
maybe it’s that guy from Italy that I met on the Green Tortoise( cross-country trip on a bus)
who along with the other Anglophiles loved to rip American wine and beer to pieces. *grumblegrumble*
I can drink a pinot gigio,a torrontes, a pinotage and a heck even a lexia but
I’m not gonna drink no rose’

*although if it means getting one of the new wristbands
I’d be gulping gallons of the pink drink 🙂 .

Dig the Rose! Love McCrea’s (WA state)….and would like to find some good ones from France….grenache!

My wife likes wihites and I like reds. The rose helps make the wine go down.

Hi Gary,

I’m not lurking anymore, especially since you pleaded so nicely for comments on Rose.

Rose is a fantastic wine for everyone to try out! It’s typically dry, made from many different red grape varitals, and is what I consider to be an easy sipper and summer relaxation wine. I’m of the generation that never really understood the “Rose is bad, White Zin is bad” commentary. In fact, when tasting, if a Rose is on the list, I’ll definitely taste it, because my “mah” loves it, and I love brining a couple new bottles to her every now and again. And better yet – it’s one of the more affordable wines out there in most of the tasting rooms.

People should really give it a whirl…especially if you’re out wine tasting. I mean, you’re already at the counter, it’s on the list, what’s the harm, right?!

Oh, and as a person “in the industry”…I salute all those that drink White Zin. You found a wine you like and hopefully makes you happy. I highly recommend you try other wines (something new can always be fun!), but you’re helping to support this industry, so drink up!

Did not think seriously about Rose (biased by memories of the sweet jug Vin Rose my Dad drank in the 60’s) until a trip to Spain last year – we were introduced to a great dry Rose by Caceres at a lunch in Sevilla. After returning to the States, tried to duplicate the lunch with a Chateau Ste. Michelle Dry Rose (WA) and have been hooked ever since. The top wine for summer outdoor lunches!

i haven’t had a rose wine in years and years. i remember it being too fruity, but i’ll have to try one soon, on a nice summers day. so excited and pumped to see you’re coming to DC with your rockville, md stop. i’ll be there!!!!

I love rose’s all year round especially in the summer, whites, reds, or roses’s I am not picky just cheap, anyway thanks for drinking more wine, you are more acceptable, thank you for your show, peace out
love you mott peace!

QOTD: I’ve had quite a few rose’s, from white Zin to Provence and Languedoc Rose to Chilean rose of Syrah to sparkling rose. Bottom line: when done right (with crisp acidity, very low sugar or bone dry) they can ALL be amazing food wines and extremely versatile food wines at that. Even without food, some of the more fruit-forward such as Syrah or Grenache- based wines from Chile or southern France rose from warmer vintages (2003, 2005) can be both enjoyably crisp and deliciously ripe by themselves, especially on a warm Summer afternoon. You wanted a thesis, but I’ll cut it off here. Thanks again for all of the educational, entertaining, and FREE content. Cheers and kudos, my friend.

QOTD: A vastly underrated wine in America — perhaps that’s the damage brought by white zinfandel (and, for an earlier generation, Lancer’s). Europeans have always taken it seriously, though, and thank goodness for that. The French winemakers working in Walla Walla have introduced outstanding rose made from cabernet franc, syrah, cabernet sauvignon and merlot.

What’ll kill a rose is sweetness. They need to be acidic and balanced, with some heft in the flavor. A good rose is a nearly perfect match with ham.