ONCE-RARE ROSÉ FINALLY BLOOMS ON THE PRAIRIES
I remember rather clearly, in 2001, searching the SLGA for a decent rosé. One of the compromises you make when you move to a new place is learning what you have to live without.
Rosé appeared to be something I would have to buy in Europe. Indeed, not only would I not buy it here, in those days bringing a bottle to a party guaranteed I would be the only drinker.
Almost two decades later, I am pleased to say that not only can you more or less pick which grape you wish to enjoy en sanguine but how intense the palate.
I tend to default to the South of France for my rosé because theirs were the first to which I was introduced. The grapes are primarily Grenache, but Clairette, Cinsault and Syrah are often part of the cepage. Tavel — the appellation which allows only the vinifying of rosé — was a much-prized rarity in my youth. It is now regularly on the shelves here.
But with all these riches from which to choose, you now have to pay a bit more attention to your preferences. I picked up a bottle of Chapoutier Beaurevoir Tavel which could almost pass for a red wine. In contrast, the Sables d’Azur from Cotes de Provence is barely kissed with the skins of the grape. I’ve seen Pinot Gris as dark.
This was, like all Chapoutier products, a lovely wine. The colour is dark ruby. The bouquet is raspberry, with a touch of stone underneath. The palate is brawnier than most rosé, matching the darker colour, with flavours of sour cherries and other fruits. Medium-bodied, extraordinarily balanced between sweet/sour/ bitterness; if you only want to stock one allpurpose wine for all foods in your cupboard, this is the one to pick.
Gabriel Meffre’s La Chasse is our house rosé. We’ve usually got a couple of bottles in the closet. It isn’t as darkly coloured as the Beaurevoir, but it is dark enough to reassure you as to the extraction during maceration.
The bouquet is quite fruity, raspberry again, but there’s some leather and meat aromas underlying it. I suspect the latter are from Cinsault in the cepage. The finish has a hint of mineral in it, so I’d guess there’s some limestone in the soil.
This is a wine for barbecued steelhead if I’ve ever tasted one. There’s enough muscle to hold its own against the stronger fish. The slight smokiness of the wine accompanies the barbecued foods beautifully.
Sables d’Azur is almost a white wine. If you’re still sticking primarily to whites but a bit redcurious, this would be an interesting wine to start. The bouquet here is more citrus, with the acidity a touch more apparent. The palate, though, is still surprisingly well balanced between alcohol, acidity and sweetness. It finishes with just a touch of bitterness. This is the perfect wine for ham. We ate it last night to accompany pasta with orange-prosciutto sauce and it worked a treat.
All of these wines have more muscle than you’d expect. You can drink them with pretty much anything on the barbecue, including spicy sausages. I like them warmer than fridge temperature, to allow the bouquet — something that rosé has in spades — to be more apparent. I’d suggest aiming for 10 degrees and keep the bottle out of the fridge thereafter.