by Mary Bailey
We drink rosé all year long now, but nothing compares to the pleasure of a glass of pink on a patio in the spring sunshine. Ebullience is what we’re looking for. Still or sparkling, simple or complex, there is a rosé for any occasion.
2021 Moments Huber Rosé (Traisental, Austria)
This rosé from this outstanding Austrian producer is made with seven different red grape varieties, including Blaufränkisch and Pinot Noir (saignée method). Love the salmon colour, the minerality and the crisp strawberry and floral notes. Drink with hummus and crudité or pizza bianca.
2022 Château Le Raz, (Bergerac, IGP Perigord, France)
The Barde family farms 60 hectares of vines on hillsides near Saint-Méard-de-Gurçon in the Dordogne to generate flavour and complexity in the wines. This blend of Cab Sauv, Cabernet Franc and Merlot is delicious, the perfect partner to a ploughman’s lunch picnic—a fun bottle of wine at a great price.
Terra Vecchia Une Ile Rosé NV (Corsica, France)
This crisp and delightful, bone-dry pink wine is grown on the east coast of Corsica. Refreshing, with lots of flavour—rhubarb, grapefruit, strawberry, melon. Made from Nielluccio, what Sangiovese is called on Corsica. Drink with grilled wild Argentine shrimp, or charcuterie. Find at Color de Vino.
2021 Zsirai Múzsa, (Villányi, Hungary)
An easy-drinking rosé from a lovely family. It’s 100 per cent Kékfrankos (the central European grape also known as Blaufränkisch.) Red fruit notes, hint of spice, medium bodied with well-balanced acidity. Drink chilled with snacks on the back deck.
2021 Wachter-Wielser Handgemenge Rosa (Süd-Burgenland, Austria)
A blend of Blaufränkisch with Zweigelt and Merlot. It’s just delicious, juicy, with bright flavours and a lovely texture. An appealing rosé, robust enough for cedar planked salmon.
2021 Gustave Lorentz Le Rosé (Alsace, France)
This Pinot Noir rosé is refreshing, with fresh berry fruit and subtle tannin providing some backbone. Pleasurable, with enough complexity and weight to drink with dinner—roast chicken or mushroom risotto.
Janz Rosé NV (Tasmania)
A lot of careful technique went into this bottle—hand picking, whole bunch pressing, extended aging on the lees—resulting in a wine with complexity, nuance and elegance. Mostly Pinot Noir with eight per cent Chardonnay. It’s an attractive pale pink, tasting of strawberries and cream and Turkish delight. Fragrant, with lively balanced acidity and bit of fruity sweetness, ideal for brunch and Mother’s Day. Have with smoked salmon blini. The pretty label is by Tasmanian artist Daniel Gray-Barnett. Tasmania is now a big deal for traditional method sparkling, due to its cool maritime climate, similar to Champagne. The first bottling, a collaboration with Louis Roederer Champagne, was the 1989 Jansz. Jansz is now owned by Australia’s Hill Smith wine family.
2021 Dirty Laundry Rosé (Okanagan Valley, Canada)
This casual summer sipper is made using the charmat method (similar to many Prosecco). It’s easy going, with a touch of strawberry sweetness. Note the crown cap, a fun trend moving though the Okanagan; we first saw crown caps on Bella’s (Naramata) excellent bubble. Drink chilled, even on ice, like they do in Provence.
Gérard Bertrand Papiliou (Languedoc, France)
This blend of Cinsault and Pinot Noir has a fine bubble, red fruit aromas and flavours. Fresh and generous, super likeable. Wine made in this style makes me think of making sourdough. Some of the must from the direct pressing (the starter) create the first fermentation for the base wine. A second part of the must (kept refrigerated since the harvest) is added, creating the bubbles during the second fermentation. After blending, a third dose of must is added (like the liqueur d’expédition, dosage, in Champagne). Drink with calamari or chicken kabobs.
2020 Villa Marcello Brut Millesimato Rosé Prosecco
We are seeing many more Rosé Prosecco at wine shops and on wine lists. This one is a family affair. Giovanni Mazzei from the Tuscan wine family worked with his mother Alessandra Marcello’s family estate Villa Marcello in the Veneto. The result? Their first rosé Prosecco. Crisp, light bodied, with delicate flavours of pear and lime citrus. A lovely wine all by itself or with grilled vegetables or omelettes. Find on the wine list at Central Social Hall Ellerslie.
Gremillet Rosé Brut (Champagne, France)
The Gremillet family makes Champagne in the Aube right in the heart of the Côte des Bar, with grapes from 16 villages. The first vineyards were purchased by Lulu, the matriarch, in 1974. How does a family new to the Champagne business get a foothold? Her son Jean Michel began by selling to French embassies. Now they export to 80 countries (wherever there is a French embassy?) The wines are well priced (by Champagne standards especially) and excellent examples of the region. The Rosé is a delight, a beautiful salmon colour, bursting with layers of red fruit notes, finishing long. In addition to the Rosé, make note of two other Gremillet, not pink but worth exploring. The Black Label Selection is 70 per cent Pinot Noir and 30 per cent Chardonnay, peachy, rich and delicious, with robust notes of stone fruit. Chardonnay for the Blanc de Blancs is sourced from the Cramant Grand Cru and Sézannais (one third each) the rest from Montgueux and Côte des Bar. A fine bubble, with delicate biscuity notes with honey and lemongrass flavours and aromas, super long finish, a treat.
It’s Gin and Tonic Season too
Brockmans Gin (Warrington, England)
Along with the usual botanical suspects— juniper, lemon and orange peel, coriander—Brockmans infuses blueberries and blackberries. The result? A luxurious gin for those who aren’t fond of the piney bite of juniper. The aromas are fruity and sweet, the texture creamy and the flavour berry rich. Baijiu features Brockmans gin in their Negroni, try it for your next G & T, make a French 75, add a splash to whipped cream for your berry desserts.
A Spectacular Gimlet
| 2½ ounces | Brockmans |
| ½ ounce | lime juice, freshly squeezed |
| ½ ounce | simple syrup |
| lime wheel for garnish |
Shake the gin, lime juice and simple syrup in a shaker filled with ice until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or rocks glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with the lime wheel.
Makes 1 cocktail.