I love wine, I really do, and, of course, I think I know a lot of wine but really, I’m no match for real experts. We’re lucky to have one on our team, our editor Karen Lubeck, who delves deep into Rosé, which I think, drinking a tall, cold glass on a warm summer’s evening makes a must. If you look around, you’ll find these bottles across LA; pick up a few and enjoy.
-- JAG
My first summer in France as a 16-year-old is a gift that has kept on giving, as it was the gateway to a life-long love affair with the country, its language and its culture. When I first learned about French wine from the father of the host family I lived with, it was during a long tour of the extensive warehouse next to the house; the man was a distributor for all of Northern France, and taught me how to recognize the type of wine by the shape of its bottle. Little did I know that I would later go on to interview winemakers and visit vineyards all over the world and write about my passion for wine in Town & Country magazine, where I was an editor for 15 years.
I love Rosé in all its styles and shades, and not just because it happens to be Spring. It’s time to bring this wine back into the spotlight, where it belongs. Here’s a wine that is likely to dazzle you with its youth, beauty, and freshness. It truly is for anytime, anywhere, and as with any art form, you don’t have to know a lot about it to be smitten.
The whole “Rosé All Day” slogan is a misunderstanding of what was meant to highlight the varied and delicious world of Rosé, to say it’s actually a serious wine category and not an anonymous beverage for indiscriminate swilling, a pale glou-glou meant to be downed by the literful.
So, I decided to ask some of the more seasoned LA wine professionals for their insights into how LA does Rosé, and to share their favorite picks and go-to food pairings. I think it’s a landscape well worth exploring. First off, a little primer on what Rosé is: it can be made from a variety of dark-skinned grapes– all juice from either red or white grapes is clear– and with a certain amount of skin contact —depending on the technique and at the discretion of the winemaker— it is typically aged in stainless steel tanks and bottled after a relatively short period. The transparent color palette is a swoon of hues, from greyish pink to deep cherry, or even copper, and darker does not equate with sweeter. As it gets warmer, you should think to yourself, “Why not expand the horizons beyond the palest pale pink style and choose those unexpected Rosés from unexpected places?”
My current inspiration is the Souleil Vin de Bonté Le Rosé, where founder Marianne Fabre-Lanvin crafts her alluring rose-gold-hued "Wine of Goodness” from Grenache, Syrah, and Cinsault grapes. Take a sip as her orange-blossom scented creation breathes a slight hint of the azure-colored Mediterranean Sea. Add to the fact that she donates proceeds from every bottle sold to ocean conservation is quite fitting. I love its nod to the fresh minerality of classic Provence Rosés without adhering so closely to that flavor profile; it’s like seeing someone flash a knowing smile instead of posing for a formal portrait.
Longtime sommelier on the LA wine scene Casleah Herwaldt, who previously helped to lead the Sommelier Community founded by Cristie Norman that encompassed more than two-hundred sommeliers from restaurants all around LA and now manages a large wine sales team told us, "A Rosé I’m loving lately is a Rosé of Pinot Noir from Cambria in the Santa Maria Valley, which is women owned and made and drinks well above the price point.”
When asked what sees people drinking and buying, Herwaldt points out, "There are some outstanding darker Rosés out there, but people seem to be drawn to lighter colored Rosés. Something like an Aglianico might be too intimidating for a beginner wine drinker where Rosé takes out the intimidation factor. It seemed Rosé became overdone and overproduced, and people became burnt out on it. Recently, I’ve found myself being drawn to Rosé again, which is exciting." Herwaldt’s choice dishes to pair with Rosé? “Of course, cheeses and seafood and summer salads. But some of my favorite unexpected pairings are scrambled eggs, pulled pork and dumplings!" she adds with a laugh.
Robert MacMillan, a buyer for 35 years at one of West Hollywood's hidden gems Du Vin Wines and Spirits, suggests pairing Rosé with spicy BBQ, an Indian or Madras Curry, or a Vietnamese Grilled chicken with goat cheese. While his customers tend to be "afraid" of the darker Rosés “...like Tavel and Bordeaux..," when he asks what style someone likes, their usual response? "It's always, 'I don't like sweet.’"
MacMillan is a big fan of Rosés that are "dry, crispy, and minerally, with some back-bone, such as Le Rosé d'Azur, Domaine de Fontsainte, Château La Coste, and ‘La Cabassonne’ Bandol.”
LA-based sommelier Elizabeth Harcourt loves “everything from a classic Yves Martin Sancerre Chavignol Rosé to the unparalleled Lopez de Heredia Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Rosado. Harcourt adds, “A recent favorite of mine that I hope to sell all over LA - so that we can all enjoy it together - is the Rosé that Maria Lopez de Heredia’s husband, Jose Luis Ripa makes called Ripa. It’s simply mesmerizing. My absolute favorite domestic Rosé is made by my friend, Angela Osborne, under her label, A Tribute to Grace. She only works with Grenache (and small amounts of Grenache blanc), and she makes very little of the Rosé each year, but it is a perfectly balanced knockout with each vintage, as elegant and complex as it is pretty and poetic. It’s everything I want in a Rosé.” says Harcourt, her voice trailing off in reverence.
Daniel Yeom, wine consultant and former General Manager of Esters Wine Shop & Bar in Santa Monica, notices that “more consumers are exploring other thirst-quenching options, like skin-contact orange wines and chilled reds,” he says. “But Angelenos are starting to embrace more experimental, natural options. The quality folks are looking for in a Rosé has a similar mineral-driven, refreshing quality. The Rosé market is opening its door to more diverse options.”
He says, “I really love Tiberio’s Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo — the dark Rosé from central Italy made from the Montepulciano grape. It strikes a perfect balance between refreshing and fruity, and is a great wine to recommend to tables who are having a tough time deciding what to drink, especially on a warm summer day. Torre dei Beati makes a good one too, but my all-time favorite has to be from Tiberio.”
Harcourt sums it up this way: “While a darker Rosé may not be en vogue, chilled red wines are having a moment. The irony of this is that color does not always translate to flavor or texture, and the qualities that a guest endorses about a chilled red might be more available in a darker rosé than a chilled red wine, but the client will reject the darker rosé on principle. This is really where it is in a wine-curious guest’s best interest to find a sommelier and wine professional they can trust.”
“Like everything else,” Harcourt adds, “discovering your wine palate is a journey, but the bottom line is that it all starts – and really ends–with one question: Do you like it? That is forever the most important thing with drinking Rosé and really any wine.”
I pause and take in Harcourt’s comments about Rosé and how it took me time to understand and be able to describe what I like, don’t like and really love in that glass of perfectly chilled Rosé and realize, like with all things that bring joy in life, searching is the best part of the journey.
--Karen Lubeck, Special Projects Editor: Hollywood Wine and Spirits of the Year
