Rosé – Getting it right is all a matter of temperatureFor reasons I won’t go into here, this week I had to grill 350 hamburgers. To do this I rented a large grill and set up a makeshift kitchen in my driveway. After the first 50 hamburgers came off the grill my wife, who was outside talking with me, mentioned a glass of Sauvignon Blanc might be refreshing considering my station over a roaring pit of charcoal briquets. I went to the wine ‘fridge in the garage and decided on a rosé that is also the May Wine-of-the-Month club selection. I had tasted the wine a month ago when I made the decision but had not drank a full bottle yet so it seemed like the perfect time.When I first poured the glass I was already thinking about the potential smells of rosé; fresh strawberries, watermelon, rhubarb, raspberries, and wondering what was in store. As it turns out it smelled like alcohol and vinegar. A couple of thoughts raced through my mind, mainly “I own 56 cases of this wine!?”, so I returned to the grill to flip the second set of 50 burgers and contemplate my options. When I returned to my glass 10 minutes later and gave it a swirl, it was as if I was smelling a completely different wine. The alcohol and vinegar had given way to what I originally expected, watermelon, raspberry and something I call the “white part of the strawberry.” It was lovely and I proceeded to drink most of the bottle while finishing the last 250 hamburgers.So just like red and white wines, serving temperature is very important when drinking rosé. Resist the temptation to pour a glass right after you take the bottle out of the refrigerator. Use a decanter or vinturi and let the wine rest for 10 minutes before drinking. I think you will find the results to be a lot more palatable.
Serving temperature for rosé, a lesson well learned
April 27, 2010
