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Ashland, Oregon HOME Valley & State Sports Nation & World Opinion/Editorial Classifieds Business Columnists Local Issues Obituaries Weather Archive Revels Etcetera Backpage Hot Topics Most Viewed Forum Photo Galleries Video Readers Polls O-Zone Online Games Movie Preview Special Sections Real Estate Guide Menu Guide Shakespeare Subscribe Contact Us Rate Card Place an Ad April 25, 2006 Off The Vine Give roses another gander There is just no way around it: Rose wines simply get no respect. Lorn Razzano There is a real prejudice among wine “pros” concerning this battered wine and it does not seem to want to go away. Trade tastings are featuring, from time to time, the wonderful dry rose wines from Europe and the United States, but after a few curious tastes, the wine folks go back to Chardonnay and the deep, rich reds. Not long ago, in my shop, I offered a lovely, dry Spanish rose wine for tasting, as well as a very powerful and tannic red, also from Spain. I could hardly get a person to taste the rose wine while the big-boy red was tasted all day long. I think this is a crime to winedom, short sighted and plainly the wrong approach to understanding this wonderful world of wine we live in. Let me explain. Rose wines are not only thirst-quenching and elegant, they go well with so many cuisine offerings, from seafood to light meats and pasta dishes. The confusion with a good dry rose lies with the history of rose wines in general. In the old days of wine, the 1950s, rose wines were generally sweet offerings with about as much class as Kool-Aid. The big seller was the Almaden Nectar Rose which while fruity and light to the taste, was also very sweet on the palate without a hint of a thirst-quenching backbone. The sister to this wine was the very well-made Grenache Rose, which was a dry offering with hints of raspberry and very nice layers of fruit with a well knit, acid backbone. This wine was very elegant on a hot day, chilled and served with lighter fare. At the time, we sold the Nectar Rose at almost a three to one rate over the Grenache Rose. Folks were just not interested in the dry rose wines, but began to really like the sweeter offering. Both wines needed to be chilled to the bone and drunk within a few years of being released by the winery. The big sister of the rose colored wines, coming out in the 1970s, was the blockbuster Sutter Home White Zinfandel, which still sells well all over the country. This wine is not dry and has, for the lack of a better description, a decidedly cotton candy taste from the bouquet to the very soft finish. Some wine judges call the wine “bubble gummy,” which I think fits well into the cotton candy set of taste sensations. This kind of wine, the sweeter, low acid offering is really the “Blush” category of the rose wine phenomenon. This is the category that gives the rose hued wines their bad image with the more “serious” wine crowd. Unless the wines are chilled to Arctic levels, they become very cloying as the sugar levels really begin to assert themselves. Here are some wonderful guidelines to follow with the nicer rose wines: Alcohol levels Generally, the higher the alcohol level, the drier the wine will be. I’d go from 12.5 percent alcohol upward. After 14 percent alcohol, you will get a “hot” taste that is off putting. Good rose is a wine that one can taste the nuances, freshness and a wonderful thirst quenching level of acids. Where to purchase them Go with the cooler climates, worldwide. In Oregon there are some wonderful, naturally acidic offerings from the Willamette Valley, as well as the stunning “When Pigs Fly” rose from Devitt winery in Southern Oregon. Be careful of the Zinfandel rose wines from Amador County as well as the Lodi region of California for their alcohol levels. If you see them at around 12 percent to 13 percent alcohol, give them a try as the Zinfandel grape does marvelously in these two growing areas. The dry rose wines from Spain can be stunning and beautifully crafted with affordable price ranges as well. French rose wines are almost always dry and silky, as well as some powerhouse rose wines from the south of France. I just got done tasting a few Italian rose wines from Puglia, the south of Italy, and found the wines to be enchanting. The bottom line to all of this is to experiment with rose wines now that spring is around the corner. There is really no better way to enjoy a light meal then to taste a cool, crisp and fresh rose with it. Take care and see you next time! --> Copyright © 2006 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers. All Rights Reserved.