Say, have you gotten the memo that pink wine is cool? That pink wine is our friend? That real men drink Rose? If yes, bully for you; you are cool and hip and wise. If not, read on…
Most Americans wrinkle their noses at the thought of pink wine, no doubt summoning sickly memories of high school White Zin hangovers. But little do they know, their favorite sommelier, wine writer, wine snob is guzzling Rose made in the Mediterranean style (read: dry and charming) by the gallon during the summer months.
Warm weather is rose weather, and there is little to rival the pleasure of a good, clean, dry, I repeat DRY rose paired with good foods with good friends on the back deck. DRY rose is Ravinia in a bottle (or Millennium Park for ye city dwellers)—perfect for that which most often makes its way into your picnic basket: soft cheeses, crusty baguette, cured meats, olives, warm fried chicken, cold friend chicken, the list goes on and on.
So it is with much delight that I undertake the lovely task of selecting The Chopping Block’s summer rose each spring. I rolled up the sleeves and tasted a whole host of them, from pale salmon to ruby pink, and unanimously (among votes cast by myself) picked the Domaine de la Courtade L’Alycastre Rose, 2011.
The L’Alycasatre hails from not only the utterly romantic Provence, but an utterly romantic island off the coast of Provence, which upon checking out the island’s tourism website made me conjure my inner Liz Lemon: “I want to go to there.” This is textbook, southern Frenchie, bone-dry rose, with aromas and flavors of strawberry, lavender, herb and roses. The finish is clean, dry, and utterly charming, and I defy you to try and be in a bad mood after a glass or three. It’s next to impossible.
So come on in for a bottle, if you can wrestle it out of the vise-grip of our staff. It’s very popular in these parts, and the price is absolutely right at just $13.50/bottle, enabling purchase by the truckload. Our loading docks are open.
