What did I do on the first day of December?
Saw a Christmas movie.
Started planning a Christmas party.
Listened to my “Best of Christmas” CD as loud as my speakers could go.
Drank Rosé with a winter meal.
Rosé is not a wine you will see many people bringing out of their cellars in December, but maybe it should be. Last night I had friends over for dinner. We had an eclectic meal of roasted root vegetables with sage (parsnips, butternut squash, and sweet potatoe) and sauteed tofu with onion and a hint of garlic. We opened two 06 dry Rosé’s - a Syrah, Grenache, Mouvedre, Cinsault blend from Curtis Winery and a straight Syrah from Santa Barbara Winery.
The Curtis Rosé’s dry, smooth fruitiness was dominated by pink grapefruit and strawberry. I normally would lean towards Rosé as a picnic wine for summer, but its delicate fruitiness is really a great pair for lighter fare (such as tofu) alongside heartier side dishes (such as roasted winter vegetables and sage).
Sauteeing and roasting makes for earthy, substantially filling dishes that are perfect for winter. Other wines that I would serve with a meal like this would be a Riesling, a high acid Viognier such as the one from Jaffurs Winery, or a Santa Barbara Winery ZCS (Zinfandel, Carignane, Sangiovese blend).
I learned something interesting last night from our assistant winemaker Ryan. When I had some of the Santa Barbara Winery Rosé I noticed something in the nose and mid-palate that I could not put my finger on. It was a familiar aroma, but one that I couldn’t quite grasp. So I asked Ryan. He swirled and sniffed, put the glass down and without hesitation said it was the rind of an orange. He then asked me to get him another glass and some white sugar.
We poured another taste of the wine into a new glass and added a pinch of sugar. Swirl, sniff the first glass - orange rind. Swirl, sniff the second glass - no orange rind. The added sugar completely cancelled out the astringent citrus nose. I looked at Ryan and said “you’re brilliant.” His simple response was “I’m a wine maker.”
Joanie Hudson, Assistant Tasting Room Manager, Santa Barbara Winery
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