As a summer of outdoor entertaining, lounging in the backyard, and fresh, seasonal produce looms ahead, I just can’t help it - my mental image of this season features a frosty-cold bottle of rosé resting in an ice bucket, ready to be enjoyed.  For those of you who know me, you already know that I’m a die-hard rosé-lover and I try to convert anyone who isn’t.  To me, rosé is simply the quintessential summertime wine.  It has the berry-ripeness of red wine with the cool, refreshing lightness of a white wine, and for some reason, rows of rosy-hued bottles in my wine fridge just screams “summertime” to me and puts a big ol’ smile on my face. 

Next week at The Urban Element, we are celebrating rosé with a special wine-paired dinner that features a variety of rosés from various regions around Ontario.  It’s going to be a fabulous summertime feast, featuring dishes to inspire your cooking in the coming months and wines that will quench your thirst and intrigue your palate.  Read on for complete event information including menu and wine pairings.

Think Pink! Rosé Dinner
Featuring Chef Candice Butler and Groovy Grapes Sommelier Ilike Csaba
Date: Wednesday June 10, 2009
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: The Urban Element, 424 Parkdale Avenue
Cost: $125pp
Reservations: call the Urban Element at 613-722-0885 or email bookings@theurbanelement.ca

It’s time to think pink and appreciate Spring & Summer with a toast to rosé! Join Groovy Grapes sommelier Ilike Csaba to sample and learn about the various styles of rosé and the regions in Ontario that specialize in this popular warm-weather wine. We’ll take you on a gastronomical journey as we explore the incredible food-friendliness of pink wines! This 5-course meal has been created specifically by the Urban Element’s Chef Candice Butler to compliment an impressive selection of VQA rosé wines; bubbly, light, full and sweet. If you’re not already a fully converted rosé-lover, you will be by the end of this experience!
 

Chilled Gazpacho with a Cilantro-Lime Yoghurt
Domaine Perrault Rosé (Navan, Ontario)
 
Beet Tomato Salad with Feta Cheese, Toasted Walnuts and a Balsamic Vinaigrette
Huff Estates South Bay Rosé (VQA Prince Edward County)
 
Leg of Lamb atop a Spring Herb Risotto
Southbrook Biodynamic Cabernet Rosé (VQA Niagara Peninsula)
 
Wild Sockeye Salmon, Warm French Potato Salad, Cucumber Slaw with a Beet & Dill Vinaigrette
Megalomaniac Pink Slip Pinot Noir Rosé 2006 (VQA Niagara Peninsula)
 
Rhubarb Crumble with a Candied Ginger Ice-Cream and a Caramelized Apple Compote
Cave Spring Select Late Harvest Cabernet Franc (VQA Niagara Peninsula)

Reservations: call the Urban Element at 613-722-0885 or email bookings@theurbanelement.ca

 

Here’s an excerpt from my book This Food That Wine that talks about what rosé is and why I love
it so much. 

Rosé is my absolute favourite summertime, patio-sipping wine.  It’s like red wine in white wine’s clothing, with the berry and spice flavours of red wine but drunk chilled down like white wine.  It’s crisp, refreshing, fruity, and easy-drinking - perfect for picnics, barbeque, and just about all summertime foods.  Not to say that you can’t drink it in the winter too – I certainly do!  Rosé is food friendly because of all the things it isn’t – it’s not as heavy as reds, and it’s not as light as many whites – it’s a happy medium, delicious, and affordable to boot.

Rosés, however, tend to be overlooked as a respectable wine style.  A lot of people automatically think of the sweet and simple White Zinfandel (although a little White Zin paired with spicy food can be amazing) but the rosés I’m talking about are the dry yet fruity, refreshing yet interesting pink wines made around the world, especially those of Mediterranean regions like southern France and Spain.  Canada and Italy make some fine rosé as well.

There are two ways that wine becomes pink.  First, you can make a white wine and add a splash of red.  Or you can make it only from red grapes.  Let me explain … red grapes are actually just red on the outside – the flesh and juice inside is white.  When red wine is made, the grapes are crushed and the skins left in with the juice, usually at least for a couple of weeks.  This is called maceration.  During this time, the skins add colour, flavour, and texture to the wine.  So to make rosé, the skins are left in with the juice for only a short period of time to extract just a bit of colour and flavour, leaving the wine a rosy pink hue with ripe berry flavours.

My favourite regions for rosé are Spain and the southern part of the Rhône Valley in France.  Spanish rosé is called Rosado, and the French name theirs after the region in which it’s made (including Tavel and Côtes-du-Rhône).  Both countries use Grenache as the main grape in the blend, also throwing in some Syrah and Cinsault (in France) or Tempranillo (in Spain).  The wines are quite full in body with ripe strawberry and raspberry flavours, and crisp, refreshing acidity.  In Canada, you often see grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, or Gamay used in their rosés.  They are still fruity, but slightly lighter and tarter in style then the Mediterranean versions.  Italy’s rosés (sometimes called “rosato”) are made from a wide range of grapes, but my favourite style is “Chiaretto” which is made in the Bardolino region of Italy using the same three grapes used to make the well-known Valpolicella (Molinara, Corvina, and Rondinella).  Chiaretto di Bardolino has a vivid salmon colour, bright berry fruit flavours, and a characteristic bitter tang on the finish.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 5th, 2009 at 9:30 pm and is filed under Events, Groovy Grapes News, Rose Wine, This Food That Wine News, White Wine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.