You Can’t go Wrong with Rosé
I love to make rosé wines. I use every available winemaking technique to
make these beautiful elegant wines and I believe that they have a rightful place
on everyone’s table. Rosé wines represent a rite of spring, a passage into new
life and the wonders that derive from the joy of living.
First of all, I am a stickler when it comes to showing off crisp pink colors
that the grape themselves are proud to wear. There is nothing as eye catching as
the color of the Cabernet Sauvignon rosé from Schulze Vineyard and Winery
(www.schulzewines.com) or a Blushing Oakes from Leonard Oaks Estate winery (www.oakeswinery.com) or Rosebud Rose from Niagara Landing Wine Cellars
(www.niagaralanding.com) that just makes you want to buy the wine for that
reason alone.
My first major wine recognition in International Competition was for Taylor
Wine Company and their New York State Rosé back in June of 1976. Here is the
opening quote from The Washington Post:
“Upsets are exciting at blind tastings of wine as at horse races. Therefore
the first thing to note about the tasting of 18 rosé wines conducted by The
Washington Post last week is that the winner, or first place wine, not only scored
an upset but won by several lengths. Taylor’s New York State Rosé, $1.89 a
bottle, led by a field assembled from three other states and four foreign
countries.”
Ahh, the joy that comes from upsetting the French and Californians with
lowly New York State wines… Anyway, as I was saying before I strayed, I love to
make rosé wines.
I say that it is about time that rosé and blush wines hold their head up high
and be counted among all the other wonderful wines in the world that people
want to relegate to the supersaturated “world class” wine category. Wines made
from one variety of grape in one style are to put it mildly…BORING! How can
anyone possibly appreciate all the exquisite nuances inherent in any one grape
variety when we don’t allow that variety to show us what it can do?
From dry to sweet, rosé and blush wines have a lot to offer. When I’m
invited to someone’s house for dinner and don’t know what’s being served, I
bring a bottle of rosé or blush wine because it goes with everything from soup to
nuts. You can’t go wrong with rosé!
Here are rosé and blush wines I create for my winery families with some
suggested food pairings. If you have some favorite food pairings with rosé and
blush wines, send me an email on the “Contact Domenic” page or post a
comment to the “Wine Forum” page!
From Schulze Vineyard and Winery (www.schulzewines.com), try:
- Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé with a tossed green salad and light balsamic
vinaigrette.
- Lotus Blush with French onion soup
- Thirty Mile Point Catawba with a crusty cheese pizza and Buffalo wings
- Cuvee Rosé bottle fermented sparkling wine poured over raspberry
sherbet
From Niagara Landing Wine Cellars (www.niagaralanding.com), try:
- Boxer Blush with a hot dog and chili sauce
- Rosebud Rosé with extra sharp New York State cheddar cheese
From Leonard Oakes Estate Winery (www.oakeswinery.com), try:
- Blushing Oakes with barbequed chicken
From The Winery at Marjim Manor (www.marjimmanor.com), try:
- Sophia’s Sunrise with a hot Italian sausage and pepper sandwich
All of the wineries mentioned above are located on the Niagara Wine Trail
(www.niagarawinetrail.org) in western New York State. You can order wines
online. Better yet, visit the wineries when you’re in the area. You’ll be amazed at
what New York State offers! |
