For too long, rosé has been relegated to the summer season. Broadly portrayed as a quaffable and coquettish wine, rosé has been historically under-appreciated and its exceptional versatility under-sung. With the profusion of pink we see this time of year, February is the month of la vie en rosé, which is why we asked Devon Magee, Wine Specialist at JJ Buckley Fine Wines, to share why he thinks rosé is righteousness year round. Secretly, we just wanted validation of what we've felt all along.
Faith Armstrong's Pinot Noir rosé. Photo courtesy of Onward Wines.
While a pale rosé is refreshing in the summer heat, a fuller-bodied and even slightly aged rosé makes an unbeatable winter pairing. After all, acidity is of the essence in a winter wine. If you live in colder climes winter fare is bound to be heavy, and therefore bright, high-acid wines like a good rosé help cut through that richness. Furthermore, rosé wine, intentionally made, treats the grapes with the same respect given to fine red or white wines. Take for example Faith Armstrong, of Onward and Farmstrong wines. Armstrong carefully selects the Pinot Noir for her rosé from Hawkeye Ranch in Redwood Valley, and monitors the process from cultivation to maceration in order to make a wine with complexity and finesse. But a truly great rosé is a wine for all seasons, which is why we asked year round rosé fan Devon Magee for his take on this multifaceted wine:
Photo courtesy of imgrum.com.
“Great rosé straddles that seesaw tipping point that is the wine lover’s eternal deliberation: whether to drink red or white wine? My favorite rosés – like Bandol’s Tempier and Pibarnon, Provence’s singular Clos Cibonne, or Sicily’s oddly earthy Susucaru from Frank Cornelissen – exhibit a mouth cleansing acidity that I yearn for in a white, meeting up with the comforting gravitas that lures me towards a red. It’s the welcome home hug from your grandma. That’s because serious rose is made from red varieties destined to be rose, not the lots that didn’t make the red wine cut.
Serious rosé is tense without being overtly tannic, fruity without being jammy, garrigue-y without being herbal, and is never done up with new oak. Serious rosé is the tip of a triangle flanked on either side by white and red wine. Best of all, any food with salt and pepper begs for rosé, because rosé, in all of its pretty pink elegance, never overwhelms and cannot be ignored. It is the silk ribbon that wraps around my favorite meals any and every time of year.”
– Devon Magee, JJ Buckley
All the Swirl is a collection of thoughts and opinions assembled by the staff and industry friends of Charles Communications Associates, a marketing communications firm with its headquarters in San Francisco, California. We invite you to explore more about our company and clients by visiting www.charlescomm.com.