Your Wine
SUMMER ROSE
By Leslie-Ann Sheppard
Wfor summer, I think of rosé. As I've often told my customers, to me, rosé is 'summertime in a glass.'

Rosé can be made from just about any red grape varietal. As the grape clusters are pressed, the clear juice from the grapes begins fermentation with the grape skins, which are responsible for providing the pink pigment in the wine. At some point shortly after the crush, the skins are removed from the juice, leaving behind their pigmentation, and a bit of the tannin found in red wines. Most rosés are fermented and aged without the use of new oak barrels, so what you get is pure fruit flavor without the interference of vanilla and oak.

At best, rosé wines will have lip-smacking acidity, ripe fruit flavors (often of strawberry or citrus) and enough body to stand up to most picnics. In the glass, rosé is sexy and enticing. Colors will range from a slight blush to a deep raspberry and anywhere in between.

Unfortunately, the image of rosé suffered greatly from the mass production of American white zinfandel from the 1970s to today. American wineries Sutter Home, DeLoach, Beringer and Mondavi were experimenting with the California grape zinfandel and came up with an American prototype for rosé: sweet, 'easy' wine lacking any real depth or acidity. It became a wine for non-wine drinkers. I remember my first experience with white zinfandel: one of my friends served it to me over ice with a squeeze of lime wedge. Not a bad way to serve it!

Amazingly, white zinfandel is still the second most-popular wine type in the United States, accounting for over 20 million cases bought per year. It was the most popular varietal wine until the mid-'90s, when chardonnay took over the pinnacle spot, where it remains.

Some American wineries have come over to the more European school of rosé and are producing drier wines that complement food, following the tradition of places

like the South of France. French rosé wines have earned international respect, and if you have the good fortune to travel to Provence or the Cote d'Azur, chances are you've realized the pure bliss of sipping chilled rosé.

Rosé wines from France are vinified from a combination of grapes that grow natively. These often include Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre and Cinsault. Wine lovers can appreciate how such 'pretty' wines can be made from such potentially 'masculine' grape varietals.

France is not the only source for great rosé, however. Spain is now exporting many stunning examples of rosé wines. Bodegas Muga and Faustino, both traditional Rioja wineries, have delightful rosé offerings. Other wine regions have also joined the rosé renaissance; it is now possible to find rosé from Australia, Italy, Greece and probably almost every other wine-making region in the world.

When choosing a rosé wine, look for the current release, if available. The most recent vintage would now be 2006, and rosé is a wine not meant for aging. 'Better' selections from 2005 should still be lively, but avoid anything older than that. Chill it down, and pop the cork. Enjoy as an aperitif or with cold picnic foods like shrimp cocktail or cold roasted chicken. Rosé is also fabulous with grilled fish and vegetables.

Leslie-Ann Sheppard is the owner of The Cellar, a creative wine and cheese shop on Surfside Road.