For me, one of the happiest wine trends of the last few years has been the return to fashion of rosé as I find it the perfect, all purpose, summer wine. It can work equally well at lunch, as an aperitif, as a party wine, and with the sort of light suppers one wants on 
sticky summer evenings. So there is just time, as summer slips to an end, to fit in one more rosé, and this week’s Nick’s Wine of the Week, the Wattle Creek Rosé 2006 ($17) serves all three of the above roles admirably.
It is dark, almost cherry colored, certainly darker than I normally like, so when I first poured it I was doubtful, and perhaps deceived by color, thought it too big and rich for a rosé. But it grew on me, and as time went on I began to enjoy its deep fruity flavor.
A tad off dry, but with a good, tangy finish to keep it interesting, and it proved a delightfully versatile, food-friendly bottle too - I had it with some thin-sliced cold pork loin and a few ears of farmers’ market corn - and together they made the perfect August supper pairing.
Charles said,
September 5, 2007 at 9:28 pm:
Nick–Couldn’t agree more with you about roses. When Melinda and I were down in St Martin last Spring it’s all we drank. Because it’s a French island the selection was pretty good–alas, most U.S. liquor stores seem to have a pretty slim selection–and we seemed to try a new vineyard almost every night. There was one rose that my French host called “Bleu” because it was in a blue bottle but honestly I can’t remember the name–a not uncommon occurence after washing down several bottles at lunch. It wasn’t an especially distinguished wine, but it was clear and crisp and slipped down a treat. Does it ring any bells?