Here’s to Red, White & Pink!
Memorial Day weekend has come and gone and summer is officially here. White wines are always more popular in the warm summer months and Red Wines will always have their place at the table, but the new color of summer is pink. After a near 30 year hibernation following a run of cheap Portuguese Pinks and cloying White Zinfandels, Rosé is back and more popular than ever.
Rosé is somewhat a hybrid of both white and red. Leave the red skins in contact with the white juice (of red grapes) for a brief period of time and viola, you have got rose. This skin contact creates a wine that is fuller than a white with a touch of skin tannin and lighter than red but with fruit characters that one derives from red varietals. It is versatile wine taking to seafood as well as it will to a juicy burger off the grill. Rosé is a wine to be enjoyed cool which is one of the reasons it plays so well in the heat of summer.
Now Rosé is made in just about every wine region of the world, but it has received its greatest notoriety from the South of France, particularly the Côtes de Provence region. Here hillside vineyards rich in limestone run alongside the Mediterranean Sea which tempers the warm climate, creating optimal conditions for grape growing.
The 2016 Les Trois Sources, “Cuvée Des Lices” Rosé embodies everything that is good about Cotes de Provence Rosé. The wine is comprised of 60% Grenache, 35% Cinsault and 5% Syrah grapes that were harvested at night to retain a perfect balance of sugar and acidity. In the glass Les Trois Sources has a pronounced bouquet of honeysuckle and peach blossoms. The palate is rich with a satin texture and just enough acidity to keep the glass mouthwatering without sharpness. Les Trois Sources Rosé is packed with ripe fruit characters of strawberry and raspberry, touched with a hint of peachiness. There is subtle limestone minerality to the wine that draws it to be enjoyed with shellfish, finfish and things with calcareous housings (mollusks).
Summer is a time to enjoy the warmth of the sun, fresh seafood and the great outdoors. It is a time to drink wines like Rosé that pair so well to these summer enjoyments. The 2016 Les Trois Sources Rosé is a perfect wine with which to celebrate the season. Priced at $14.99 a bottle (or $12.74 when bought by the case/mixed case) it represents a great value for Côtes de Provence Rosé and a great all around wine for summer enjoyment.
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