PINK FOR FALL

While I definitely believe in drinking what makes you happy (i.e., if you want a pinot grigio with your steak – go for it), I find that I am usually a seasonal drinker. Guinness, red wine and brown liquor in the cooler months (which, in the North Country, happen to be about half the year).  White wine, rosés and clear alcohol (sorry Ron Swanson) when it’s warm.

But who says rosés are only for summer? Certainly, they pair well with summer’s culinary offerings: gazpacho with a hint of spice, crisp beautiful salads fresh from the garden and any seafood dishes you can imagine (I’m envisioning ice cold mussels that tastes like the ocean with a squeeze of lemon juice on top). And yet, I find that I’m happy to drink a certain type of  rosé in the fall and winter.  Provençal rosés in their palest shades of pink are warm weather rosés, but give me a deep heady Malbec rosé (like the Michel Torino 2012 vintage) any cold autumn day. I also love the Hect & Bannier Languedoc Rosé, a recent addition to barVino’s wine list. A nearly equal blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah, this is a mouth-watering, food-friendly wine. It’s a deep pink and has heft to it with bright acidity and depth of flavor that gives it backbone against heartier cold weather dishes.  And at the same time, it is also perfectly content on its own, no culinary accompaniments needed. Which is always nice.