WINE: Pink & Delicious, From Sonoma Cutrer
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Rosé wine consumption has exploded in the U.S. over the past several years. The wine has been growing and growing in popularity, replacing that “glass of white wine” in the hearts and hands of people who used to always sip on Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio. In fact, rosé outsells white wine in France! Dry rosé wine is the all-occasion wine in the south of France—no surprise, since Provence is the world base of dry rosé production. There, vin rosé is paired with all the foods, all year around. In general, a dry rosé can be substituted any time you need a dry wine. When you can’t decide between red or white wine, reach for the rosé. In the history of wine, rosé is a relative newcomer. The category was created in 1942 by the founder of Sogrape, a European wine producer. Seeking a lighter, fruity style of wine, he called it rosé for its rosy color. The color comes from limited skin contact* with the red grape skins during vinification (longer skin contact results in a red wine). Whether pink for Valentine’s Day or for any other day of the year, Sonoma Cutrer’s 2020 Rosé of Pinot Noir is a delicious bottle of rosé. One of America’s finest wineries, Sonoma Cutrer of Sonoma County has long specialized in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It also produces Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé. While a rosé wine can be made from any red grape, Rosé of Pinot Noir is made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes from the winery’s Russian River Valley vineyards. It’s vinified into a dry wine. The 2020 vintage is 11.9% alcohol. The complexity of the Russian River Valley Pinot Noir grapes shows in the depth of flavor of the rosé. The Russian River Valley AVA† is known for wonderful rosés made from Pinot Noir. This elegant beauty, a light salmon color (photo #1), has a refreshing nose of of blueberry, cantaloupe and grapefruit (if you think this is pretentious wine-speak, inhale to find these aromas when you pour a glass). It has the crisp, refreshing mouthfeel of a fine rosé, and fresh fruit flavors of blood orange, citrus strawberry and strawberry (again, look for these flavors on your palate). The finish is long, just the way we like it. You can find it for $25 or less. A bonus: 99% of the vineyard acreage in Sonoma County has been certified sustainable by a third-part certification body. In addition to enjoying it as an apéritif wine, Rosé of Pinot Noir pairs well with: Don’t use a fine rosé above for any of these. You can use a perfectly good $10 bottle of rosé. |
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