Pink Saturday - Pink Wine

Beverly at the blog How Sweet the Sound has a great idea! It's Pink Saturday. Post about something pink, on Saturday. Here are the rules if you want to Get Pink!

A couple of summers ago, we started to notice in our favorite wine store displays of Rose wine. The stores were pushing it as a great wine for summer. Pink wine!

Do you remember Mateus? I remember how very sophisticated I felt, buying a bottle of Mateus rose back in the '70s, serving it to potential boyfriends with Quiche Lorraine and a green salad. Then there's "Pink Zinfandel." How about "Pink Chablis?" These wines were often made by blending cheap white and red wine - and sometimes altered with sweeteners and flavors. Boy, do I remember the hangovers!

Today's fine pink wines aren't anything like that Kool-Aid. They are made from red or black grapes that are left on the skin for only a short time, lending a touch of color to the wine, but sparing the complexity of tannin in red wines. Good pink wines can be crisp, fruity and fresh. They are good with picnic food, grilled food, even barbecue - and so perfect for summer.

Here in southern California, it may be October, but it still feels like summer. We can fire up the Weber, grill some chicken, and drink our pink wines for a few more weekends!

French pink wines, like Tavel, and Cotes de Langedoc, from the warmer south of France are somewhat drier than American wines. Food writer David Rosengarten recommends them with artichokes - the odd taste reaction to artichokes lends an extra sweetness to other foods - he claims this works well with dry French roses, which can stand up to a little extra sweetness.

Buy pink wines young and serve them chilled. They're pretty on the table, and light on the palate.

My favorite pink wine, Blanc de Noirs or Pink Champagne. If it's pink Saturday - consider drinking pink! Cheers!