Rosé sheds its image as a (bad) four-letter word
jimMcCRACKEN vino@florida-weekly.com

Mentioning rosé to most wine lovers is likely to produce grimaces of disdain. Many of today's oenophiles cut their wine teeth on Lancers and Mateus, perhaps also sampling Gallo Pink Chablis and Almaden Grenache Rose along the way. Suffice it to say that this experimentation left a bad taste in the mouth and possibly on the psyche.

Today these brands have been replaced by white zinfandel, which is technically a blush wine, created when the skins of red grapes come in contact with the fermenting juice for a short time.

A true rosé is made from red grapes, and with many high-quality rosé wines available, it is fast becoming a popular choice, well-suited to many social occasions.

Although not wildly popular like a cabernet sauvignon or chardonnay, there is something intriguing about it being neither white nor red. Because of their early experiences, however, many consumers haven't tried today's rosés, so they don't know how to appreciate these pink jewels that are perfect for summer entertaining.

Frank Pulice, proprietor of Austin's Wine Cellar, says, "I like rosé wines when grilling out. An unusual one I like is from Bordeaux. Originally all Bordeaux were made in this style. Chateau de Parenchere Bordeaux Clairet is medium- to full-bodied with a rich red rosé color, fragrant with cherry and big berry flavors and made from five Bordeaux grapes. This wine tastes like a red wine, and if you were blindfolded, you would not know it was a rosé."

PHOTO BY JIM MCCRACKEN Jerry Greenfield at Slow Foods dinner

Fort Myers wine lover Jerry Greenfield generally drinks reds, but has also found some palate-pleasing rosés.

"I especially like Tavel rosé," he says. "It is a full-bodied wine despite the light color, made from 100 percent grenache grape. Just because a wine doesn't have a lot of color, it can still have flavor and body."

This wine from southern France is, like most European rosés, dry yet full of fruit and body.

So what's spurred the renewed interest in rosé?

"Rosé is very popular now because today's consumer is a bit adventurous and will try new selections recommended by a waiter or reputable wine merchant," Pulice said. "These new rosés are not sweet and chapitalized (sweetened) like some in the past."

Angove Nine Vines Grenache Shiraz Rose

Nonetheless, there remains some demand for sweeter wines, like the old rosés and today's white zins.

Gloria Cabral Johnson, owner of La Trattoria Café Napoli in Fort Myers, doesn't carry them. Instead, she says, "I like to give them options."

One might be Torres Rosé de Casta, from the Catalunya district in northern Spain.

"It is mostly garnacha grape," she says. " It is a little sweeter and fruity with a flowery bouquet and cherry and plum flavors. If they are looking for something really sweeter than that, I try to move them to a Riesling. The different selections can help educate my customers and move them to another level."

Rosé is a perfect food-pairing wine, with "one foot in the red world and one foot in the white world" says sommelier Joshua Wesson in the book "What to Drink With What You Eat," by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. "The fact that it is a red that wants to be a white, or white that wants to be a red, means that it will try twice as hard to please you. Those with just the smallest touch of sweetness are natural with food. For so much of the food that we eat you need a wine with some level of sweetness."

Try serving rosés with grilled sausages, hamburgers, grilled or roasted pork, shrimp or crab.

So forgive those youthful missteps. Step away from the wines you customarily buy these days. Try a nice chilled rosé. Surprise friends and family at your next get together with this refreshing wine - and impress them with how cool you are for knowing about it.

Wine picks of the week

>>Rosé de Syrah 2006 by Verget de Sud: This wine from southwest France has big raspberry and Rainier cherry notes, combining with white peach flavor for a delicious fuller bodied dry wine. This rosé has a nice long finish as well, making it a great food pairing wine. About $16.

>>Angove's Nine Vines Grenache Shiraz Rosé 2007: The winemaker's Web site likens this wine's bright pink hue to Australian sunshine and warm days by the beach. Its raspberry and cherry aromas combine with fresh fruit salad and lovely crispness on the palate. Its dry finish makes it a good choice with food. About $15.

>>Meyer-Fonné Pinot Blanc Vielles Vignes 2006: This remarkable Alsatian wine is well structured, and has a beautiful concentration of fruit with a hint of white flowers and lovely finish, slightly off-dry. Another great wine that pairs easily with food. About $25.