Rose Rundown

Oct 17
08:06

2011

Tushar Virani

Tushar Virani

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As I stepped out of the airport at Reagan National Airport a couple weeks ago, I was hit with a blast of wet, sticky air. Oh, yes, that would be the humidity I have not missed over the past 6 years.

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As I stepped out of the airport at Reagan National Airport a couple weeks ago,Rose Rundown Articles I was hit with a blast of wet, sticky air. Oh, yes, that would be the humidity I have not missed over the past 6 years. Combine it with temperatures in the 90s and you're talking serious weather shock. As I always try to look on the bright side of things (which one must do with a toddler, a baby and a pending move on their mind), I see this heat as a way to enjoy my favorite summer wine, rosé, even to a greater degree. The hotter it is, the colder it feels, the pinker it looks and the more refreshing it tastes.

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Rosé has been on the upswing for some years now, with more Americans realizing that all pink wine is not the semi-sweet "blush" wine made so popular by Sutter Home in the 70's and 80's. There are all sorts of rosé styles out there, from sweet to off-dry to bone dry; dark crimson colored to pale salmon hued; full-bodied and lush to lightly crisp. Rose wines are definitely not one-size-fits-all. But how do you tell which is the right one? Each country seems to make a range of styles, so I often focus on color and grape. Color: I generalize here, but similar to reds and white wines, the deeper the color of wine, the more full-bodied the wine will be. A darker rosé often means a grape with a darker skin was used and/or the wine spent more time on the grape skins. In either scenario, you'll get a fuller-bodied wine and mouthfeel. Light, salmon-colored rosé is often made with Pinot Noir or is a wine that has very little time on the skins, so will be lighter bodied with more delicate flavors, but not lacking in flavor!

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Grape: If a wine bottle gives you the grape (or grape varieties) used, it's obviously more helpful in taking a gander at the style of wine. Mulderbosch Rosé, for example, is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based rosé – not your typical rosé variety. It's fuller-bodied and has excellent structure, just like a Cab! But if you are sipping Robert Sinskey Vin Gris, a pale, salmon colored rosé based on Pinot Noir, you'll have much lighter-body and more delicate flavors – both are excellent, but different.In my case, while I swelter here in the heat and humidity of Virginia for another week, I'll take it if it's pink and cold.

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