The Rosés are blooming in May

By Barry Sears

The old saying “April showers bring May flowers” couldn’t be truer this year. May brings to mind renewal of life, so why not renew your love of rosé wines? Rosés are the perfect complement for spring. These wines are not the sticky, sweet wines that your grandmother drinks. Modern rosés have the aromatic fruit of the finest red wines, coupled with the crisp acidic backbone of today’s Sauvignon Blancs. Ripe red fruits come to mind when I think of rosé.
There are two very different ways of making rosé. The first is to blend a small amount of red wine into a white wine to make the pink color. This is how most of the California blush wines are made and the way that rosé Champagne is made in France. The second way is to crush red grapes as you would to make red wine, and as the color from the grape skins start to turn the juice from clear to red, they remove the skins. This makes the wine with less intensity in color and flavor than a normal red wine.
Rosés are great for this time of year because of their versatility. Zesty acidity and mild body allow rosés to pair with a wide variety of flavors. One of my favorite flavors, and perhaps yours too, is garlic and it pairs perfectly with rosé. It may surprise you to know that garlic and rosé go together like chocolate and peanut butter. I have always tried to pair garlic-rich dishes with either light red wines or full bodied whites with little success. Rosés bridge the gap. My favorite rosé dish is a grilled chicken breast basted with garlic and olive oil, served on fresh baby spinach and sliced strawberries. It is a match made in heaven.

Here are three of my favorite rosés:
• Hamacher Pinot Noir Rosé. This is an outstanding example of a lighter style rosé from the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Ripe red fruit on the nose with a hint of vanilla. It finishes with nice acidity. This salmon colored wine is the perfect wine for white wine drinkers looking to stretch their wings and try something new.
• La Vieille Ferme Rosé. This is my everyday drinking rosé, which comes from France’s Rhone Valley. It is made from a blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah. This is heavier in style due to the more robust grapes. It has a wonderful aroma of cherry and cranberries. It finishes dry and crisp, leaving your mouth watering.
• Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Rosé. This is grown right in New York State and is a Bordeaux blend of grapes with a brilliant red color and robust body. It finishes clean with nice bright acidity and a bit of minerality. This is a perfect choice for salmon. It is a nice showing from one of the Finger Lakes leading producers.

Barry Sears is with Täste Bistro and is Bar Supervisor at the Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa, Lake Placid. For more information call 523.7834 ext. 687 or visit www.mirrorlakeinn.com .