Left to right, back row: Nancy Toppan and Jere Bone; front row: Susan Parker, David Parker, Alfred Van Gool and Rupa Mathur
Bernadette Fideli
Blame white zinfandel for the misconception that pink equals sweet. Those who drink rosé know better. Dry, crisp and thirst-quenching, rosé may share the same hue as the sugary white zins, but that is where the similarities end. Rosé sales are growing at least 10 times faster than the growth of overall table wine sales. Even Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have gone pink. The celeb couple boosted rosé’s reputation when they bought the Chateau Miravel estate in Provence and released their first vintage in 2013. If it’s good enough for Hollywood, it’s good enough for the Wine Stewards! CT Robertson and Brenda McKenzie treated the Wine Stewards to a “Splash of Color Evening” exploring the wonderful world of rosé wines.
Upon arrival guests were greeted with glasses of Charles and Charles Rosé, an iconic wine that uses the American flag as a stylist backdrop for its label. Charles and Charles is a collaboration founded in 2008 between Food & Wine Magazine Winemaker of the Year, Charles Smith and Charles Bieler. They produce just two wines each year, a rosé made in the old school way, and a cabernet sauvignon and syrah red blend. Their rosé has aromas of cherry, wild raspberry, blood orange and Herbs de Provence. This leads nicely into a bright acidity that builds as it refreshes. Another interesting offering was Angels and Cowboys Rosé from Sonoma County, California. Did you know rosé is a fantastic barbeque wine? It is full-bodied and can take on heavy meat like hamburgers or hot dogs, but will not overpower anything. Angels and Cowboys is a collaboration between Cannonball Wine Company co-founders and Northern California graphic artist Michael Schwab. Theirs is an appreciation for down to earth wines that indulges the lover, the trailblazer and the rule breaker in all of us. This wine has hints of citrus and spicy floral notes. As the evening progressed the Wine Stewards discovered Rosé is the red-wine drinker’s white and the white-wine drinker’s red. It truly is sunshine in a bottle.