Island Life Magazine Ltd August/September 2006 | Page 64

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Rosé! Rosé! Rosé!
By Tim Flint

Wines for Summer
It can’t have passed everyone’s
notice that Rosé wine has not
only made a huge resurgence in
popularity, but has also become far
more tasty. Almost all wine regions,
over the last three years, have been
working overtime to get a quality
Rosé wine on their portfolio. We are
drinking more Rosé , Blush, Rosado
and Rosato than ever before. Global
warming has lengthened our
summers (traditional Rosé time),
hence our increased consumption of
these delicious, refreshing wines.
Through my shop, I am seeing
Rosé wines from good top estates,
including those from Provence,
Bandol and Tavel in France,
Abbruzo in Italy, Portugal, Rioja and
Toro in Spain and more recently,
Paarl in South Africa. All of these
wines are from good single estates
where they take the ‘one man and
his vineyard’ approach. In my
experience, buying wines from
these small single estates has always
led to much better value for money.
This is because the vintner’s entire
reputation and livelihood rides on
the few products he produces.
Many Rosé wines are slightly
lower in alcohol, making perfect
lunchtime drinking as they are
lighter and more refreshing. The
bigger drier styles will of course
have their place with food, or
simply at ‘Tapas time’. Look out for

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these great wines to enjoy with or
without food during this superb
summer we are having.
The lighter and more medium
Rosé wines, such as White
Zinfandel Blush from California and
Rosé d’Anjou can be enjoyed with
seafood, hors d’oeuvres or simple
salads, and are a perfect match to
spicy food such as Thai, Indian
or Chinese. These should be well
chilled.
With the drier Rosés from Bandol,
Tavel and South Africa, try drinking
with duck cooked with olives or a
‘bourride’, but you could also try it
with mild curries or Chinese. Serve
at 12°C with grilled fish, exotic or
Mediterranean cuisine, or as an
aperitif.

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