Days of wine and rosés

This post is for my dad. I have my parents to thank for my introduction to wine. As far back as I can remember, my parents enjoyed a glass of wine before dinner or with our meal. Of course, back in those days their taste ran towards chablis in a box (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Nowadays I swap wine chat with my dad pretty regularly. He sends me articles about wine and I provide him with the latest on what I’m drinking. So when I had a lovely bottle of French rosé the other night, it reminded me to remind him about rosé.

Rosé doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves, at least not in the U.S. and definitely not here in the South. It is often confused with its shady cousin “blush.” White zinfandel is blush (not that there’s anything wrong with white zin). Rosé is dry; blush is off-dry to semi-sweet. While some rosés have a hint of sweetness, to be fair—many white wines do also.

Another reason I got to thinking about rosé is because you can still find the spring shipment in your local wine stores. Here in Columbia I know Green’s still has a ton of great rosés in stock and I’ll bet Total Wine and others still have some good stuff. Here are a couple I like:

Bonny Doon Ca' del Solo Big House Pink – From the infamous Randall Graham comes this little gem of a rosé. It’s the perfect introduction to rosé or the perfect everyday rosé for those of us who can’t afford to drink the good stuff all the time. The best part? It’s $5.99 at Green’s Beverage Warehouse. Holy Mackerel! A Grande Double Mochachino Deluxe costs more than that.

Domaine de Saint-Antoine Rosé – This is the wine I had the other night that reminded me how much I love rosé. For $8.99 (Green’s), it’s one of the best rosés I’ve ever had.

These are just a couple that jump to mind. There are many more out there, including some Spanish rosés I have yet to try. Rosé is a great sippin’ wine as well as being very versatile with food. Since we have some lovely fall weather on the way, it’s the perfect wine to enjoy in your favorite outdoor spot—the porch, the deck or the curb in front of the Amoco.

So enjoy a glass of rosé before it disappears for the winter. Just don’t sit in front of the Amoco, Dad.