Rosé is shedding its dowdy image and taking on a new life, writes Joelle Thomson.
KEY POINTS:
If he had only put as much energy into wine as he did into his other pursuits, Saddam Hussein might have tagged one innocuous addition on to his long list of legacies: popularising pink wine.
Not that wine drinkers would necessarily have taken his vinous lead, but it is surprising to find that the late dictator had a penchant for something as light, pretty and seemingly harmless as rosé.
Not everyone would agree that rose has always been harmless.
In its heyday, Mateus rose (Hussein's personal fave) was either an affordable, accessible intro to the wine world or it was a dire distraction from real rose, causing damage to the latter.
These days there's no need to worry because every second winemaker is turning out at least one rose - and the quality is rising. Recent experience with my male friends and family shows the former dictator was far from alone in enjoying pink wines.
When I opened a bottle of Deutz Rose a few days after Christmas last year, the immediate response from the men I was drinking it with was an effusive thumbs up.
Lest there be any doubt in your mind, these guys were not the target market for Kim Crawford's hugely successful "pansy" pink wine, but rather blokey metrosexuals who were happy to 'fess up to enjoying good pink wine, avec or sans bubbles.
Pink wine can be made from virtually any red grape, though not very often white ones.
The usual red suspects to be pressed into service for pink, rose or blush wines include cabernet sauvignon, grenache and merlot through to pinot noir, shiraz and tempranillo, among a curious mix of lesser-known French indigenous grapes.
On the rare occasion, rose is even made from zibibbo, the Arabic name for the aromatic white muscat grape.
Speaking of which, zibibbo was the grape of choice for the adventurous Australian Brown Brothers winery in Victoria, who have just released a new light pink sweetie for Valentine's Day. Check it out along with other top pink drops with your own sweetie this coming Thursday February 14.
BEST PINK DRINKS
2007 Clearview Estate Black Reef Blush $16
Hawke's Bay winemaker Tim Turvey may have named it "blush" but this fleshy, delicious, tasty wine is more of a light red.
Brown Brothers Zibibbo $16-17
When better to launch a sweet pink something than Valentine's Day? Fortunately this something contains a light 8 per cent alcohol and aromatically sweet grapey flavours - perfect with salty pistachios.
Moet Rose; NV $80
It's easy to overlook big-name bubblies but do so at your peril if it's Moet Rose NV. Soft, lightly spicy and with lots of body - do you really need any more reason to try this? And just to clear up the enduring mystery, you do pronounce the 't' in Moet.
2007 Esk Valley Merlot Malbec $18-20
Winemaker Gordon Russell is a dab hand with merlot and malbec, fashioning a lighter than usual version in this robust, light red. Firm, fleshy and far more rewarding than most pink wines you can find.
BEST PINK BUBBLES
1998 Billecart-Salmon Cuvee Elisabeth
Scour specialist wine stores or hop online for this - the reward for spending the best part of $200 and a little time searching is to drink one of the best pink bubbles available here and a top fave with wine lovers around the world.
Laurent-Perrier NV Brut Rose;
It's not just the swanky packaging that makes LP Rose so beguiling (although, let's be honest, that helps). This soft, sensuous, pinot noir-dominant pink bubbly imprints its flavours in your mouth and your mind.
* Joelle Thomson is wine editor and associate editor of MiNDFOOD, an integrated online and news-stand magazine, which launches in March.
