Food Pairings: Rose

A natural choice for a late spring afternoon sipper is a cool, refreshing rose. What foods would pair well with your favorite pink wine?

A bit about the wine: Rose wines are are made from red grapes and begin their transformation into wine like any other red wine would, with the skin intact and on the pulp of the grapes. They ferment with the skins for only a few days, just long enough to get a little color and retain some of the skin characteristics. The skins are then removed and fermentation is completed as if it were a white wine, most often in stainless steel. What you're left with is a delicate pink wine that can range from very dry, to very sweet, depending on the winemaker, region or amount of time the grapes were allowed to remain in contact with the skin.

Some cheeses that would work well with Rose include:

Feta: Tangy, salty Feta is a nice match with the zippy acidity in rosé. Serve the feta alone or paired with olives and hummus.

Goat Cheese: Goat cheese has a tangy flavor that pairs well with wines that are bright and pleasantly acidic.

As far as other foods, rose wines pair well with an amazing variety of foods, from spicy foods to poultry. Try a rose with any type of egg dish. Rose is ideal for afternoon parties since it pairs well with quiche, frittata and omelets. You may also give it a try the next time you order in Thai or Indian; Normally, most people drink beer with Indian or Thai curries because they don't match well with red or white wines. If you're not a beer drinker, give rose a try with these dishes. Pair light, fruity rose with a grilled or roasted poultry dish, just as you would a white wine. Light rose wines go especially well with fruit-flavored poultry dishes such as chicken teriyaki or lemon chicken. You can also pair a light rose with barbecued chicken.

How do you pair your rose?