E Wine of the Week

By Bruce Cochran
Hello Everyone,
I’m back from a great two and a half weeks in Italy, well fed and back to work.   It’s great to go, and great also to get back home. And for me, a big part of being home in the summertime is cooking out.  This week let’s look at a wine that’s great for warm weather and barbecued chicken.

Upcoming wine dinners include tonight at Bordino’s and May 22 at Trio’s in Little Rock. Go to brucecochran.com to see the menu and for details.

Try a new wine this week!
Bruce

Dry Rosé

For the past couple of years there has been a growing interest in dry rosés.  It’s a challenge for people who sell wines, since for a generation now most consumers have viewed any pink wine as sweet. But it’s a worthy cause, if for no other reason than a dry rosé is a great choice to accompany another summertime favorite: barbecued chicken.
For a generation now, just about every pink wine available has been sweet, since their huge popularity squeezed the dry versions right off the shelves. Those who made dry rosé, and their fans, were browbeaten to the point where they just gave up. And, as things sometimes go, that was just about the time when things began to change.
The traditional grapes for dry rosés include Grenache and Syrah, originally from southeastern France, and cabernet franc, originally from western France.  Today these grapes are grown in California and other “New World” wine places.  Originally planted for reds, rosé lovers are beginning to benefit.
Now, back to barbequed chicken. We often hear people say that you don’t have to serve white wine with chicken, it’s also good with red, jumping right past pink. A pink wine is just a very light red, whether you call it rosé, blush or anything else.
You’ll see several good ones on retailers’ shelves and restaurant wine lists this summer as dry rosé gets more attention from wine writers and members of the wine trade. A good one for around $10, that I distribute, is called “Roséum” from Vina Robles. It has lots of color for a pink wine, and that usually means lots of flavor—just about the right amount for barbecued chicken. The dry rosé from Vina Robles, on California’s Central Coast, is made from 60 percent Grenache grapes and 40 percent Syrah.