Thursday, April 8, 2010

Season of the Pink...A Month Early!

Summertime has arrived a bit earlier than expected this year--especially here on the east coast. In fact, it’s approached 90 degrees the past couple of days here in Philadelphia--enough to make me desperate to pop the cork on a bottle of rosé.


I didn’t expect to mention these warm-weather charmers quite this early in the season, but now is as appropriate a time as any to do so. And, apparently, The Washington Post had the same idea, as they recently ran a nice warm-up story on rosés by Dave McIntyre. He did, however, point out one negative aspect of the wines’ growing popularity:


“Increased demand has resulted in a wider selection, but popularity comes with a price,” McIntyre wrote. “The dollar's continued weakness against the euro also puts pressure on price. French rosés that just a few years ago sold for under $10 have in recent vintages crept into the $15 neighborhood. That's a significant hike. I...[suggest looking] for rosés from Chile and Argentina, where some bargains around $10 can be found.”


Of course, it has to be noted that, though a price increase from $10 to $15 certainly is significant, this is still relatively inexpensive wine we’re talking about here. And that’s very important to keep in mind: Rosé is all about finding the liquid equivalent of summertime’s pleasures, which, even at $15, is pretty easy to do. (And, for the record, there are still plenty of $10 French bottlings, too.)


Which is all to say that now, as rosé season is upon us, start stocking up on them. My strategy has always been to put together a nice mixed case of wines from Argentina, France, Spain, California, and Australia. I don’t limit myself to these countries throughout the season, but it’s a good place to start: A case like that one is likely to provide close to the full range of rosé styles, flavor profiles, and weights.


For more on rosé, and links to some helpful articles on them, click here. And then run out and get that case. It’s hot outside, and you cannot possibly live on iced tea alone.

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