Stop and Smell the Rose

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When you close your eyes and clear your mind, what is the first thing that pops into your head when you hear rosé? A sunny afternoon on the back porch? A California sunset? A Kendall Jackson commercial? Is there a group of ladies involved? I have a hunch that I guessed it for about 95 percent percent of your average wine drinkers.

Full disclosure, I am a beer-drinking, meat-loving kinda guy, and I am totally fine with admitting I really like rosé. I don’t own too many pink shirts, but I am totally fine with ordering a pink drink. Rosé gets its color from the grape skins left on during the juicing process. The final product can range drastically in color, and from sweet to dry depending on the grape vaietals and fermentation process used. If you are not familiar with rosé it can be tough knowing where to start, so Dishing caught up with a few wine experts to get all the info you need on this summertime favorite.

Life through rosé colored glasses: Just as the statement implies, everything seems a little better when you have a glass of rosé in your hand. “A good rosé is like an Arnold Palmer,” explains John Koenig, Food and beverage manager at the Amangani “It is a great balance of dryness and tanins with a sugary acidity.” As picking out the right bottle can be difficult, Koenig recommends looking for wines from the Provence region of France and sticking to dry options. “The biggest challenge with rosé is people start thinking of white zin or other super sugary options. Once we pour a guest a glass of rosé by the pool, 80 percent of them will order it over and over again through their stay.” With more body than a sauvignon blanc but still considerably lighter than a red, it is a perfect summertime wine for the mountains.

Stop and sip at Bin 22

Stop and sip at Bin 22

Bottle Service: “One of the best things about rosé is the price point, you can be drinking a good French wine for between $15 to $20 dollars,” Koenig said. If you are looking to grab a bottle to try on your own, Bin 22 is a great place to start. With a selection of over 20 labels and a few to try out by the glass in the wine bar, you are sure to find one that will please your taste buds. “Rosé is a very user friendly wine,” said Neil Loomis beverage manager of The Fine Dinning Group. In addition to liking the Provence rosés, he is also a fan of a few Austrian labels they carry. The Mittelbach and Chauteau Riotour are two of his personal favorites labels. “All the rosés we carry are on the dryer side,” he said. “…They are best enjoyed outside on a sunny day.” Loomis is also busy perfecting the next hottest thing in rosé: the rosé based slushie. Look for it coming soon from Bodega.

The Perfect Pairing: Red with meat, white with fish, rosé with…? Luckily for you, rosé is a pretty forgiving wine to pair food with. “When we were in Itally, they served rosé whenever we would get pizza,” said Kyle Nicholson, chef de cuisine at Snake River Grill. I caught up with him to pick his brain on rosé pairings, and he offered some great suggestions. “Rosés pair really well with salads and fresh berries.” If you’re thinking of an appetizer to prepare for a backyard wine tasting, Nicholson recommends fresh melon wrapped with an aged prosciutto to balance the rosé. Thinking about trying a glass out on the town? Pair it with Snake River Grill’s strawberry and summer peas starter served with herbed goat cheese and sunflower sprouts.

Norton's Folly prepared by bartender Brittany Fells

Norton’s Folly prepared by bartender Brittany Fells

Thinking outside the bottle: Now that you know all the tricks to enjoy rosé on its own, lets mix it up a little. I stopped by Jackson’s premier cocktail bar, which is coincidentally named The Rose, to get a lesson on a rosécocktail. Although not on the current menu, bartender Brittany Fells whipped up a Norton’s Folly, a drink that has graced the pages of their menu before. Although some of the ingredients are not ones most people have in their liquor cabinet, you can use it as a baseline for experimenting on your own

 

 

Chris Hogberg

Food and cooking has been a great travel buddy for Chris, finally taking root in Jackson. Originally from Seattle, Chris enjoys rainy walks to get coffee, cold dark beers, and cozying up in a warm restaurant kitchen. He has a background in marketing but has spent most of his days working in fine dining behind the line. Now you can find him selling hummus, perusing the farmers markets, or mountain biking behind his Aussie Shephard, Zephyr.

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Tom Evans
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