Rosé Round-up and a Fall Salad

Rosé gets a lot of love for being the perfect summer drink. I can't argue with that, but I also appreciate it in the autumn months. I purchased my first bottle of rosé on a girl's trip to Napa, just when I started to learn that drinking pink wine wasn't something to be embarrassed by. Doug and I broke it open to enjoy on a late September evening and it tasted fantastic with the prosciutto and late summer melon. Since then, I've thought of rosé as my perfect summer-to-fall transition wine. It's cold and refreshing, but with more substance and depth than summer whites.

Rosé also pairs well with some of my favorite fall dishes, including this sweet-tart salad. I've been on a huge fruit-in-salad kick - strawberries over arugula, watermelon cubes with feta, asian pears garnished with toasted pistachios - but this salad was the original. I'd never have imagined that slices of crisp granny smith apples belonged with diced celery. The tart taste of the apples is a surprisingly good match for the dry, vegetal flavor of the celery. The honey-mustard dressing sounds like a corporate dipping sauce, but this one reminds me why those flavors belonged together in the first place - sharp, bright, tangy.

Below is a quick round-up of the rosés I've been enjoying recently. The salad recipe follows the wines.

Domaine St. Lucie 

Cotes de Provence Rose MiP (2010)

$16

This light pink wine - a blend of Cinsault, Grenache, and Syrah - was dry and refreshing. Clear strawberry notes, but also strong mineral character. It was damn good with a Guadalajara Sour.

Martin Codax Cuatro Pasos

Rosado (2010)

$16

This Cuatro Pasos is made with Mencia grapes from the Bierzo region of Spain. Mencia is similar to Cab Franc, so I expected to like it more than I did. Instead, this was a little too berry-rific for me. The fruit dominated the wine.

Domaine Wilfred Rousse

Chinon Rose (2009)

$13

Doug and I have a fondness for wines made from Chinon because they feature Cabernet Franc. This rosé is made entirely of Cab Franc; it's tart and citrusy, with an herbal scent on the nose.

Stella Rose (2008)

Napa Valley

$22

If the MiP is the most delicate of this crew, the Stella is the richest. The wine is made with Syrah grapes. It is full, food-friendly, and fantastic in the cooler months. We really loved this one.

Green Apple and Celery Salad

Bon Appetit (November 2005)

Serves 4

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 Dijon mustard
• 5 tsps honey (You can short this some, if you want a sharper dressing.)
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1 large bunch celery
• 2 large Granny Smith apples, quartered and cored, then thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Whisk the first three ingredients in a small bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. Thinly slice celery stalks on a deep diagonal. Combine celery, apple slices, and toasted walnuts in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette and toss to coat. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper.

Guadalajara Sour and a Rosé

Guadalajara Sour. Sounds sexy, right? For me, it conjures up images of beaches and surfing and tanned women in flowy skirts. All of which is entirely inaccurate, since both Guadalajara in Mexico and Guadalajara in Spain are entirely landlocked. Beautiful, culturally rich, but nowhere near a beach. Whether your images are geographically appropriate or not, however, you can't deny that a Guadalajara Sour sounds like something you might want to have in your hand for any number of summertime activities.

Plus, it's hard not to show a little love for a drink that combines tequila and rosé. It seems like such an unlikely combination, but then tequila always surprises me with its ability to play nicely with others. This drink is no exception; it is surprisingly soft and sophisticated. And dangerously refreshing. Also, unlike many sours, you can drink more than one without feeling like the lemon and simple syrup are at war in your belly. Remember how Doug fell in love with Negronis back in April? I've found my cocktail true match. Who would've guessed he'd be enamored of the Italian aperitif and I'd be banging down the door for some more tequila.

The character of your particular Guadalajara Sour is bound to be determined by your choice of rosé. The one we selected was not very dramatic in color, but more than made up for it with its crisp, faintly herbal (lavender!) taste. I love rosé in the warm weather, and I know you aren't supposed to take it too seriously, but I appreciated that this version had a little more substance than some. If you like rosé, you won't be disappointed. 

France and Mexico in the same glass. Who knew.

Guadalajara Sour

New York Times (6/21/2011)

• 1 3/4 oz. blanco tequila
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. simple syrup
• 3/4 oz. chilled rosé

Combine the tequila, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Hold a spoon with its back side facing up on the surface of the drink and slowly pour the rosé over it. 

Domaine St. Lucie Cotes de Provence Rosé
MiP (2009)
$16

P.S. We grilled some awesome pizza to accompany the cocktails and wine. Griggstown chicken sausage, caramelized zucchini and onion, basil from our  very own garden (read: two potted herbs), and...wait for it...feta. That's right, I've fallen for feta. It only took six years of lobbying on Doug's part. I'm a slow learner, clearly.