Cheap and too sweet. Bottom shelf and bad. Simply not in vogue. Over the last few years, these views of rosé wines have gone through the crusher, fermented into a newer, more knowledgeable opinion that a rosé can be tasty, pair well with food and even hang tough on its own. This week, we offer a brand new arrival in this wine category that’s both food-friendly and tasty enough to stand alone.
Mad Tomato, the new Italian restaurant by chef-owner Vito Racanelli, has exactly one rosé on its wine list and it is BaRosé, a bottle from well-known Barolo wine producer Virna di Borgogno. Barolo wine is typically made from Nebbiolo grapes and is recognized for its light color. This is the first time that Virna has made a rosé Nebbiolo, created from the youngest of the Nebbiolo vines from five vineyards near Piemonte. The skin of the grapes is left in contact with the juice for about 48 hours, resulting in a vibrant pink hue and beautiful notes of strawberries and raspberries, as well as deeper notes of plum on the nose and palate.
Tom Sutliffe, general manager at Mad Tomato, settled on the BaRosé because it worked well with the tomato sauces and southern Italian cuisine at the Clayton restaurant. “It stands up to the acidity of the food and doesn’t overwhelm it,” he noted. If you want to pair this refreshing wine with a meal at home, think along the lines of grilled white meat or fish, seafood or spicy dishes. Reserve a second bottle for the fall, and match it with truffles, another Piemonte specialty.
So, where can you find this refreshing summer sipper this weekend? Well, it’s available by the glass and by the bottle at Mad Tomato, or you can pick up a bottle for some patio pouring at Randall’s Wine and Spirits and Wines of Wildwood. Priced at around $15 a bottle, it also pairs well with your pocketbook.
This article appears in Jul 1-31, 2011.