June 2, 2017 | Food & Drink
Sunny days and spring flowers were made for a cool glass of pink wine. From the crisp and dry to fruity and floral, there’s a rosé for every palate and every dish. Need help choosing? We asked some of Austin’s wine experts to suggest some of their favorites.
"I'm often taken aback by the thought-provoking, daydream-inspiring rosé wines from Provence. For me, the daydream is simple: Domaines Ott 'Clos Mireille' Côtés de Provence 2016 acts as a vacation in a bottle and truly transplants me to Provence every time! It's slightly sea salty, with light raspberry and strawberry tones, a hint of thyme flower, and provençal herbs."
"Currently, I have two favorites. First is from our friend, local Texas winemaker Rae Wilson’s Dandy Rosé 2016, a very dry, lean, herbaceous nod to France, which pairs swimmingly with seafood dishes. The second is Teutonic’s Laurel Vineyard Rosé of Pinot Noir coming out of Oregon—super juicy and lush with lots of ripe berry fruit that is perfect for a weighty dish like pork chop."
"I find myself instinctively drawn to those bottlings of pink wine, which break the notion of rosé being fruity, berry-driven and easy-drinking. Those characteristics are, of course, the hallmark of the majority of the pink wine we see on the market, but I have incredible respect for a bottle which makes me question the notion of categorization. My favorite bottling comes from the legendary R. Lopez de Heredia, with their elusive bottling of Rosado, released after 10 years of age. Aged rosé? Yes, please. This wine is so exquisite in complexity, balance. and finish, I find myself prolonging the experience by not only drinking the wine slowly over the course of several hours in a day, but also, by relishing the change in character on a day to day basis (if I can even manage to find the wine)."
"My favorite rosé of all time is Domaine Houchart from Provence, made with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Grenache, and Syrah. It's crisp, a little spicy, refreshing with a hint of strawberry and great limestone minerality (perhaps because the grapes are grown in limestone)."
"The 2014 Heidi Schröck Rosé "Biscaya" (Austria)—the first time it was introduced to me, I enjoyed it with a burger and it was the perfect combination for a summer afternoon. It would also pair well with game, mushroom dishes, or a summer gazpacho."
"If you’re curious about a Texas rosé, the 2016 Rosé of Malbec from William Chris Vineyard is a delight. Like a bowl full of summer red fruit kissed with a squeeze of fleshy lemon and a pinch of confectioner’s sugar, this wine is crisp and refreshing, and should keep you smiling all summer long."
"As a marketing representative for Texas wineries, I naturally taste a lot of Texas wines. There are some outstanding rosé wines made in Texas with a wide variety of grapes that grow really well in our state. Beyond our clients’ wine, I absolutely love the Lewis Wines Texas High Plains Rosé. It is a blend of grapes that you would traditionally find in a rosé from Provence, France, including Cinsault and Mourvèdre, but grown in the Texas High Plains. It would be easy to mistake this for a southern French wine with its easygoing style, salmon color, fresh cantaloupe, strawberry jam, and peach pit flavors. Its citrusy tartness makes it a perfect pairing with just about any food, or any porch swing. I’ll keep this one in heavy rotation all summer."
"For us here, and it would seem for most of our discerning clientele, it is Provence that holds the keys to the rosé kingdom. It's really not one or two different producers, but the entire category of wines from this area in the southeast of France that sets the tone for the conversation on rosé wines here. 'Bottled sunshine,' we like to say. This said, here are a few favorites: 2016 Domaine Houchart Côtes de Provence Rosé. This is our best-selling and hands-down popular favorite pink wine in the shop. Light, refreshing and easy on its feet. 2016 Clos Ste Magdeleine Cassis Rosé. Perhaps one of the most stunningly beautiful vineyards on the planet (from the air at least).
While we would love to recommend perhaps our favorite rosé, the almost mythical Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé, sadly we are most always sold out before the wine even arrives. Thankfully, there are a number of other fine Bandol Rosé wines that perhaps, come close in quality."
Photography by Annie Whitehead (Chris McFall, Jason Huerta); Stephen Callender (Paula Rester); Kenny Braun (Jessica DuPuy); Madeleine Thompson (John Roenigk); Courtesy of La Corsha Hospitality Group (Paula Rester); Courtesy of Sophia’s (Kyle Nathan); Courtesy of Four Seasons (Denis Espina);Courtesy of Penandtellus.com (Matt McGinnis)
