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Rosé wines can be enjoyed year-round.

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Year-round rosés

Rosé has earned itself a category all its own and can be enjoyed any day and any season. Here’s a short guide to better understanding and pairing this pretty-in-pink drink, no matter the weather.

Published on May 17, 2021

Four seasons of rosé

All too often, rosés are relegated to summer sipping, and yet whites are enjoyed all year round… so unfair! Rosés are refreshing as an aperitif and can hold their own at the dinner table when a wide variety of dishes await. SAQ shelves are filled to the brim with these gorgeous pink elixirs. Of course, you have your ever-popular rosés from Provence, but you can also opt for rosés from Languedoc-Roussillon, Spain, Italy, Chile, South Africa, Canada and Quebec!

Fine wines

Producing a good-quality rosé is not any easier than producing a good-quality red. In fact, winemakers will tell you it’s actually a pretty complex process. Judicious selection of the grape varieties used, optimal ripeness of the grapes and absolute control of the contact between the skins and the juice, are all variables impacting the final balance of the wine. In 2018, Provence’s rosé contest crowned two rosés that can be cellared. Tavel, which is reputed to have been a favourite wine of King Philippe the Fair and the Avignon Papacy, is today considered by many to be the king of rosés. Complex, generous and medium-bodied, it leaves no one indifferent. In Rioja, every five years or so, López de Heredia estate launches a rosé that is treated like one of their very best Reserva reds, aged several years in barrels. It presents a texture and complexity that is genuinely unique.

Pairings: Which foods to serve with rosé?

Fruity and Light taste tag

Rosés with the
"Fruity and Light" taste tag

Although rosés are great on their own, their subtle flavours and delicate aromas are at their best when paired with food. Rosés with the “Fruity and Light” taste tag pair wonderfully with seafood canapés, white fish spreads, feta cheese bites, Margherita pizza or tomato-and-bocconcini appetizers.

Fruity and Sweet” taste tag

Rosés with the
"Fruity and Sweet" taste tag

These wines pair nicely with salty-sweet Asian dishes, like ginger chicken or salmon topped with fruit salsa. They’re also delicious with prosciutto and melon appetizers, liver pâté with cherry jam, or dried cranberry terrine.

Fruity and Medium-bodied taste tag

Rosés with the "Fruity and Medium-bodied" taste tag

A little more robust, these wines pair perfectly with meat, such as veal, chicken and sausage. You can also serve these rosés with salads (think Niçoise or California), tomato and Provençal herb dishes, or even dishes that have a touch of spiciness.

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