Wait! Wait! Rosé Me! A Confession to Drinking Rosé After Labor Day!

The leaves are changing color; they're falling on the ground, The pumpkins are out.  Candy corn is on display at Rite Aid.  Today, even though there was a nip in the air and I wore a sweater; I wore my open toe sandals. I saw some people on the subway doing the same and smile a conspiritorial smirk.  We hardly had a summer!  I'm not letting go that easily either!  One way of not letting go is drinking rosé.

Ok, it might not be sweltering out.  You may have lost your tan.  You might not be in the south of France, the Hamptons, or poolside; but you can still drink pink wine.  It's like wearing white after Labor Day - it's okay to drink rosé after September! That's right!! You can drink it all year long.  Drink it at Thanksgiving - it pairs better with Turkey than Zinfandel and all those other big reds magazines would have you believe.

Actually, now is a great time to buy rosé.  A lot of retailers are freaked out that they still have inventory. They might feel like discounting them.  I just bought a couple of Roses that I plan on sipping whilst wearing my flops and shades. , Domaine La Croix Belle's Grenache-Syrah from Languedoc, Calera's Pinot Noir rosé from California, Rizzardi's Bardolino Chiaretto from Italy.  All of these wines were around $10 even though they used to be around $15-$18. I love a bargain. 

Rosé has the reputation in the US as being a seasonal wine.  This is a huge leap from 5-10 years ago when rosé were only thought of as sweet wines. Now, most of the rosé in stores (in the Northeast anyway) are on the dry side.  It's tricky for importers, distributors, and retailers to calculate how much rosé to either carry or bring in.   Everyone is terrified of being stuck with older vintages of rosé. You probably saw 2008 rosé in your wine stores.  There may have been an odd 2007 - but you'd better believe that your retailer was getting a great deal. However, even though we drink rosés young, fresh 'n fruity; some of them can age for a few years if they are made well. 

What is rosé? Some of you oldies might still call it Blush?  Well stop it! Don't make me cringe!  It's rosé.  If you want to speak Italian, call it a  rosato.  If you are really cool and drinking a Pinot Noir rosé, maybe you'll refer to it as a vin gris  Rosé wine is made from the juice of red grapes.  The color is from the contact with the grape skins.  Some times it is quite minimal - like hours, sometimes it can be a few days.  The longer the contact with the skins, the deeper the color and more taninns the wine will show. Sometimes Roses can be an orangy salmon color (just like Champagne rosé) and sometimes they can be a very light but intense violet. I am a sucker for the ones that look like fruit punch.  Thank you Scaldabrone rosé from Antinori (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah). 

Buonchristi's small production Rose of Syrah is amazingly full-bodied and spicy.   I bought a case of Lechthaler's Lagrein Rosato.  I still have about 6 bottles left.  I'm not worried.  The acidity is so good that the wine will last for a couple of years.

Don't be a fad follower.  If you like your rosé, don't be afraid to drink it year round.  Yes, rosé tastes amazing with a salade nicoise while dining al fresco - however, that is just ONE pairing.  Rosé can give a warmth that can give you comfort during your next Nor'easter.