(Jacqueline Coleman for Biscayne Times)
Summertime wine drinking should always include rosé.
National Rosé Day happens each year on the second Saturday of June – in 2022, that’s June 11. So if you need an excuse to “rosé all day” (you don’t), then take it as your cue to splurge on a bottle or more of your favorite pink wine.
Rosé hasn’t always enjoyed the level of fame and popularity it has achieved recently. If you were of drinking age in the 1980s and ’90s, you may have been a victim of the white zinfandel craze that swept the nation thanks to Sutter Home. This sweet blush wine either made you a fan or turned you off completely to any bottle of rosé that crossed your dinner table or poolside cabana.
But what was once thought of as only an off-dry, cheap white wine alternative is now one of the most sought-after
(Courtesy of Gloria Ferrer Winery)
Gloria Ferrer wines offer elegance in a bottle.
styles of wine, especially here in Miami. Some may even say that rosé defines an entire wine culture. “Rosé season” and “rosé all day” are anthems for pink-loving wine drinkers, and with all the variety of rosé in the current market, it makes sense that it could take an entire season, or at least a full day, to celebrate and appreciate it.
There is not just one region producing rosé. In fact, you can find it made all over the world, though it could be argued that the beautiful southern French region of Provence is a rosé world headquarters of sorts. The pale pink, dry and crisp wines of this area have been a driver of the modern age of rosé stardom. Thank you, Provence, for ushering us out of the white zin era!
From California and France, here are four very different bottles of rosé to help inspire your National Rosé Day celebrations this year.
California Rosé
From world-class sparkling wine producer Gloria Ferrer, located in Carneros in Sonoma, comes an elegant bottle of rosé bubbles. The 2016 Carneros Cuvée Rosé is a sophisticated bottle from California’s premier sparkling wine region. Made in the traditional method – the same as France’s Champagne, with 55% pinot noir grapes and 45% chardonnay – this sparkling rosé is worlds away from any white zin.
(Jacqueline Coleman for Biscayne Times)
There’s an interesting story behind the creation of Vice Sauvignon Blanc Rosé.
Only the best estate fruit goes into this wine, which is produced in select vintage years and aged for close to a decade. The wine has aromas and flavors of red berries, Meyer lemon, pomegranate and brioche. Its soft creaminess coats your palate, is balanced nicely by crisp acidity and has a lingering fruity finish. With a retail price of $86, this rosé represents a serious sparkling wine that can be enjoyed with a special meal or occasion.
For a still rosé option with some personality, head over to Napa Valley for a bottle of The Vice Sauvignon Blanc Rosé, Limited “Vices Edition” ($29). Say what? A rosé made from white grapes? Well, the wine is actually 97% sauvignon blanc and 3% a mistake! The story goes that the cellar master mistakenly racked a barrel of cabernet sauvignon into the sauvignon blanc tanks, and this is how the rosé was made.
Expect this wine to have citrus, passionfruit and peachy flavors, with a hint of fresh red berries peeking in on the palate. The Vice offers a perfect poolside sipping rosé with this bottle. Think nothing complicated, just a feel-good wine that’s a nice gateway rosé for even the most diehard sauvignon blanc drinkers.
French Rosé
From the South of France comes the popular Listel “Grain de Gris” Rosé. This wine is so popular that it is actually the No. 1 selling dry rosé in France. Made with 25% grenache, 25% cinsault, 25% cabernet sauvignon and 25% merlot, Grain de Gris is full of notes of summer strawberry, fresh cranberry and a touch of mandarin orange. It’s a dry, refreshing wine that is produced on the Mediterranean coast and classified as an IGP Terres du Midi. This is a quintessential summer rosé that retails for only about $12.99.
(Courtesy of Vineyard Brands)
Produced by the world-renowned Perrin family, La Vieille Ferme is its iconic “chicken wine.”
Finally, Rosé Day wouldn’t be complete without a bottle of everyone’s favorite “chicken wine.” Yes, chicken wine – so-called for its charming label illustration – now comes as a sparkling rosé! Of course, this is the Perrin family’s La Vieille Ferme Sparkling Rosé.
La Vieille Ferme is a brand that you surely recognize for its iconic label and economical prices. But don’t let this value wine scare you off without trying it first. La Vieille Ferme is the unpretentious line from the family behind the famed Château de Beaucastel, one of the southern Rhône Valley’s top producers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines.
For their sparkling rosé, the Perrins have established their own method called “Méthode Contemporaine,” which involves capturing CO2 made during fermentation and reintroducing it to the wine before bottling. This creates very fine bubbles, different from other methods such as direct carbonation.
The wine is a blend of grenache, cinsault and pinot noir, leading to a palate full of wild red berry flavors. The bubbles are subtle and coat your mouth with energizing effervescence. Grab a bottle for $14.99 and serve very chilled with any summertime activity – like celebrating the many ways to enjoy rosé!