Conventional wisdom (or mindless tradition) dictates that rose wines are delightful for summer but not serious enough for drinking past Labor Day. I've bought into the notion myself, usually writing about roses in early summer and forgetting about them until the following year.
But a recent tasting at Le Cirque restaurant in New York held by the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence (CIVP), representing 583 producers, private and corporate cellars, dispelled those seasonal considerations in an effort to get people to drink more Provence roses.
There are several appellations under French wine law for the region: Cotes de Provence, Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence, Cotes de Provence Sainte-Victoire, Cotes de Provence Frejus and Coteaux Varois en Provence. All of them are in the south of France, from Aix-en-Provence down along the Riviera. More than a dozen grape varieties are grown throughout the region, principally grenache, carignan, syrah and cinsault; about 80 percent of production is in rose wines. The rose color comes from saignee (``bled''), the use of free-run juice from just-crushed red grapes after a short maceration.
Now that that's out of the way, let me focus on the question of whether rose wines can hold their own with cold-weather fare. Frankly, there's no reason why any good rose cannot substitute for white wine, which wine lovers drink throughout the winter with lighter dishes like seafood and chicken. In fact, a good quality rose has considerably more flavor than many white wines like pinot grigio, pinot blanc, semillon and gruner veltliner.
Intensity
More important, the roses from Provence now coming into the market have considerably more intensity than many of the old standbys like Domaines Ott, which I've always found a bland, flowery, too-dry blend of ugni blanc and semillon (and, at $35 a bottle, way overpriced).
But the wines I tasted at the luncheon -- some given fanciful names that should appeal to the American wine drinker who already enjoys French wines like Red Bicyclette -- had both flavor and intensity along with a rosier color. What's more, they are priced right.
With salad Nicoise and lobster risotto (two dishes as appealing in summer as they are in fall), we drank two wines: Cuvee du Cep d'Or Les Maitres Vignerons de Saint-Tropez 2007 ($8- $14), a 50-50 blend of grenache and cinsault that had a golden peach color and was dry but fruity right through to the finish; and Chateau d'Esclans ``Whispering Angel'' 2007 ($20), also dry but deeper in rose color, with a lovely aromatic ending that was due to a blend of five varietals -- grenache, rolle, cinsault, syrah and mourvedre. Those last two gave it real ballast and, at 13.2 percent alcohol, a silky body.
Fresh Flowers
The main courses were monkfish with a blanquette of curry, coconut and scallions with rice pilaf, and chicken with a fricassee of chanterelle mushrooms. With these we were served a Chateau de Pourcieux 2007, with a fresh, floral nose and plenty of fruit throughout the palate and, at $16, a wine of distinctive, high quality.
Le Cirque then sent out a ``Symphony of Desserts'' with which drier roses might not have coped well. But a Chateau Miraval Cuvee ``Pink Floyd'' 2007 ($22), a blend of cinsault and a little grenache that has a deep rose color, showed remarkably well with the rich floating island dessert of poached meringues and creme anglaise. The name, by the way, commemorates the fact that Pink Floyd recorded ``The Wall'' at the chateau's recording studio here in 1977. The new owners of the property are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
Toasted Almonds
With the desserts we also had a quite complex rose that balanced the taste of toasted almonds and rich fruit flavors -- Domaine Saint Andre de Figuiere 2007 Reserve ($27) -- although the sweetness of the desserts blunted the latter.
I would happily drink these wines with these kinds of foods at any time of the year (though not with red meats or spicy sauces), with most appetizers, any seafood, chicken, even veal.
Oh, I learned one other thing about roses that day: Do not chill them down too much -- about 55 to 60 degrees is ideal -- because cold masks their subtleties, even in a hot summer along the Riviera.
