DAN'S PAPERS, May 7, 2010 Page 54 www.danshamptons.com
Call it blush, vin gris or just plain “pink” if you want, but rosé is back. And local winemakers — and wine lovers — are rejoicing the revival of these underappreciated and misunderstood wines. Personally, I love rose because no other wine type or style, red or white, offers so many options and so much diversity at the table. From seafood to steak — and every food in between — there is a style of rose that will fit the bill. I’m not talking the sweet rose here — white zinfandel from the west coast
Rosé Is Back! need not apply. Dry rose can even bridge the gap between white wine and red, providing a gateway to wine exploration. Well-made roséé combines the complexity and structure of red wine with the refreshing, thirst quenching qualities of whites. And, rose a great pairing for meals centered on the spring vegetables that are have farm stands open across the east end. To help celebrate local rose, the Long Island Wine
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Over The Barrel... with Lenn Thompson
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Council has deemed May “Run for the Roses” month. Throughout May wineries across Long Island will donate a dollar from every bottle of rose purchased to CancerCare (cancercare.org), a national nonprofit organization that provides free professional counseling, therapeutic recreational events and activities, health information, and financial assistance to families and children affected by any type of cancer. Many wineries are offering other specials as well, including complimentary tastings, discounts and the like. Local restaurants and overnight accommodations are getting in on the Run for Roses as well with specials running throughout May. For a full list of the participants, visit liwines.com. Just about every local winery makes rose — and some make several — but here are some of the best that have crossed my tasting table of late. Wolffer Estate 2006 Noblesse Oblige ($40) is a elegant, classically styled sparkling rose made with 54% pinot noir and 46% chardonnay. Toasty and lightly yeasty on the nose with layers of peach and red berry beneath, it delivers creamy texture with bright acidity and a long citrusy finish that also shows a little golden declivous apple. Wolffer Estate 2009 Rose ($17) is made by blending red and white wines together and is super-fresh on the nose with grapefruit, strawberry and peach notes. Medium bodied and dry, the palate shows intense strawberry character with citrus and kiwi, all framed by appetite-whetting acidity. Shinn Estate Vineyards 2009 Rose ($15) is made in a very different style — it’s almost a red wine in its intensity, depth and subtle tannic structure. It brings ripe watermelon and red raspberry flavors and the heft to stand up to hamburgers or maybe even steak. Paumanok Vineyards 2009 Dry Rose ($15) might be their best dry rose to date, with unique brambly wild strawberry and blueberry aromas that lead into similar flavors with big-but-balanced acidity and some red apple on the finish. Croteaux 2009 Sauvage ($24) isn’t cheap, but it’s a unique rose from a winery that only produces pink wines. The nose is floral with peach rather than red fruit aromas. The palate is light, crisp and subtly earthy with a bit of red pear and light tannins. It was the first bottle emptied after my recent tasting.