Serve Rosé Champagne With Turkey

TIP OF THE DAY: Serve Rosé Champagne With Turkey

November 11, 2014 at 8:26 am · Filed under Thanksgiving & Fall, Wine

Each year at this time we get queries about the best wine to serve with turkey. Click over to see our list of “turkey wines”: delicious, affordable choices in red, white and sparkling wines.

One wine we left off of our original list is a crowd pleaser: rosé Champagne. The dark fruit flavors make it a delightful match for turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, butternut squash soup, roasted Brussels sprouts and the rest of the menu.

PARTY FAVORS

Not only will it thrill at the table; if you’re into nice party favors, you can use splits as place settings. Tie a ribbon around the neck and thread a card with the person’s name. We’ve seen rosé splits from Nicolas Feuillatte’s and Moet & Chandon and Pommery (from $12-$15); your retailer may have others.

But for only $10 for a full-size bottle, we really enjoy [yellow tail] Bubbles Rosé from Australia (yes, it’s spelled lower case and in brackets) and Martini Sparkling Rosé Wine from Italy.

DESSERT & BRUNCH

For dessert, the delicate sweetness of a demi-sec rosé, such as Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte’s D’Luscious and Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial Rosé, pairs with most desserts. Those who don’t indulge in dessert—or have no room left for it—will enjoy sipping a glass.

Quarter bottles of Champagne are sparkling party favors. At left, Brut; at right, Brut Rosé. Photo courtesy Nicolas Feuillatte.

sparkling-rose-with-strawberry-martini-230

Sparkling rosé wines from Australia and Italy are very affordable—some just $10 for a full-size bottle. Photo courtesy Martini.

Recork any leftover bubbly with a Champagne recorker and mix it with pink grapefruit juice for a Grapefruit Mimosa. There’s a recipe below.

WHAT IS ROSÉ WINE?

Also referred to as blush wine, rosé can be made as a still, semi-still or sparkling wine.

Still rosé wines can be made from almost any red grape varietal, or from a blend of varietals.

Sparkling rosé wines, including rosé Champagne, are exceptions because they also can be made with white grapes. The wines get their rosy color from contact with the red grape skins.

Depending on the grape, terroir and winemaking techniques, the color can range from the palest pink to deep ruby red to hues of orange or violet.

Styles range from bone dry Provençal rosé to sweet White Zinfandel and other blush wines from California.

Still rose wines are not made to age, and should be drunk at 1-3 years old. The exception is top-quality rosé Champagne. A 15-year-old Dom Perignon Rosé, for example, is a joy.

RECIPE: GRAPEFRUIT MIMOSA COCKTAIL

This recipe, from Emeril Lagasse, can be made sweeter by adding more juice and less Champagne—a proportion that also stretches the Champagne if you don’t have enough left over.

Ingredients For 4 Flutes

4 tablespoons triple sec or other orange liqueur (e.g. Cointreau, Grand Marnier)

1/2 cup pink or red grapefruit juice

2 cups Champagne

Garnish: grapefruit wedge

Preparation

1. PLACE 1 tablespoon of liqueur in each flute. Top with 2 tablespoons of grapefruit juice and 1/2 cup of Champagne.

2. GARNISH with a grapefruit wedge and serve.

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