We've always had a soft spot for rosé, the pink-headed stepchild of white and red wines that's a regular fixture on the bridal shower circuit. So we were glad to see the Chronicle's exhaustive rundown on the best rosés of this year, which has apparently brought "a perfect storm of rosé" our way.
Although rosé has been trendy for a few years now -- New York Times ran a popular 2006 piece, which got picked up in the LA Times; and Drinks Business called rosé one of the top 10 wine trends of the "last three years" -- it seems to have gotten even classier since the last time we drank it hot and straight from the bottle while reclining in a partially-deflated inner tube. So much so, in fact, that the Chronicle's reviewers divided their list into four distinct sections. Do you like your rosé "fresh and friendly" or "quiet and thoughtful"? Or do you prefer it "hearty & rambunctious", like the large and energetic puppy of the pink wine world? We wouldn't know what to say to a rosé "with some gravitas," but we'd start by putting on a shirt and shoes.
Want to follow the pink wine trend, but don't quite know where to start? Here are our five easy rosé picks for summer:
- That special pink magic that happens when you pour some white wine into a glass that has a little leftover red wine in it.
- The rosé from the goodie bag you won at your cousin's bachelorette/bridal/baby party.
- That one bottle of orange wine you bought when orange wine was the new thing, seen through rose-tinted glasses.
- Twist-top rosé in a picnic basket at the beach. Variety irrelevant.
- Pink lemonade and vodka.
In all seriousness, if you want a good recommendation, we point you toward Baxter Winery in Anderson Valley. They produce some of the finest rosés in California if not the world.
Just remember, pink novices, a white zinfandel is not a rosé. Words to live by.
