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In the Pink 2016

July 12, 2016 By John Tucker Filed Under: Natural Selection (wine) Tagged With: Brooklyn, fermentation, Park Sope, pink wine, red grapes, rose, rosewater, vintage, wine, winemakers, wineries, Winery

Rosé has been a passion and a warm weather standard for us at Rose Water since the day we opened in August of 2000, (and a bit of a namesake, too, really). Its delicious, refreshing, and for a seasonal restaurant like ours, what other wine speaks to it’s season better than rosé? Nothing makes us happier than cold, delicious pink wine on a warm summer night. Now that Summer 2016 is in full swing, it’s time to sample a few of this year’s favorites from the 2015 vintage.

Rosé is made from red grapes (although sometimes by blending white and red to get pink, but purists generally frown upon this practice). Red wine gets its color when the clear juice of red grapes spends weeks or months in contact with the grape skins. Rosé, on the other hand, usually spends only hours on those red grape skins before the juice is pumped off to a fermentation tank. Thus the much lighter hue and lighter body, while retaining some of the savory character and spice we love in red wine, along with the some of the best aspects of white – freshness and a pronounced minerality.

In a recent column we wrote about heirloom grapes and the interesting and diverse wines they produce. One of our favorite heirloom varietals is Pineau d’Aunis, a red grape grown primarily around Anjou and Touraine in the Loire Valley in Western France. It’s a delightful, but thin-skinned and fickle grape that almost became extinct in the last century, primarily due to low crop yields and its susceptibility to mildew and pests. For natural winemakers who, as a rule, try to use little or no herbacides and pestacides, these grapes can be even harder to grow than they are for conventional growers. When a farmer faces hard economic choices, it can be tempting to rip out those unreliable heirloom vines and plant hardy, high-yielding Sauvignon Blanc, for example.

A couple years ago we we fell in love with a Pineau d’Aunis rosé from Domain Courtault-Tardieux in the Touraine, but there was very little produced that vintage and even less exported to the States, and it was gone in a flash (low yields, indeed). Courtualt-Tardieux actually does grow a lot of Sauvignon Blanc, which affords them a relatively consistent income so that they’re able to stick with a risky heirloom varietal that they see as vital part of the history of winemaking in their region. Thankfully, they’re completely committed to Pineau d’Aunis.

In January of 2015 we started working on getting the 2014 bottling, only to find out that a difficult vintage (vinegar flies!) meant there was no wine at all coming stateside last year. Zero. (Unreliable, indeed). But now the delightful 2015 vintage has finally arrived and it was worth the wait; light and rainwater fresh (great minerality from clay and limestone soils) with bright strawberry fruit and a little savory spice. Gorgeous now, but developing and coming into it’s own as each week passes – we’re going to lay aside a case for next summer to see how it matures. As usual, there isn’t much of this wine, but we managed to purchase a fair amount of what came to NYC, and we’re thrilled to be able to have it on our list (and usually by the glass) all summer long.

Courtault-Tardieux Pineau d’Aunis Rosé 2015. Available at Rose Water and Vine Wine, 616 Lorimer St. BK, www.vine-wine.com $15

Every year we offer at least one rosé from out east. In the past we’ve served delicious pinks from Shinn, Wolffer, Paumanok and others, but this year we were struck by the unique character of the Refosco from Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton. Channing Daughters is tirelessly experimental and they are proud champions of lesser known varietals. They’re easily one of the most interesting wineries on Long Island.

In 2007 Channing Daughters acquired a three acre plot on the South Fork called the Home Farm Vineyard and planted two Italian varietals, Lagrein and Refosco. Refosco is native to the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region in Northeastern Italy, and it produces primarily dark reds, most of which are not exported from Italy. Jancis Robinson describes the grape as producing reds that are “dense, lively wines with bite.” The Refosco grown by Channing Daughters has that density and bite, but in their rosé it’s delightfully restrained and the wine is unique and fascinating. With it’s balanced but bigger mouthfeel, brambly, smoky fruit and a little tannic grip, this wine is wonderful with heartier fare. We’re pairing this with grilled fish and fowl this summer and it’s divine.

Channing Daughters Winery Home Vineyard Refosco Rosato. At Rose Water and Michael Towne Wines, 73 Clark St. BK,
www.michaeltownewines.com $20

In southeastern Piemonte, Walter Massa produces an array of wonderful wines in the appellation of Colli Tortonesi. He likes to say he has five sons in his family: Barbera, Freisa, Nebbiolo, Croatina and Timorasso, an indigenous white heirloom grape that Walter is famous for having single-handedly revived and elevated. It’s those first two “sons,” Barbera and Freisa, that go into Walter’s rosato, Terra: Sic Est (translated loosely as Earth: what you see is what you get).

Massa’s 2015 rosato looks and drinks more like a light red than a simple pink quaffer, but it’s no less wonderful a drink for the season – we can’t imagine a better foil for a fatty steak or lamb chop hot off the backyard grill. It smells and tastes first and foremost of ripe, juicy cherries, but has a savory quality of subtle herbs and spice (mahleb) and just enough grip. And it’s remarkably fresh. A pink wine this red is not for everyone, but for us it completes the broad spectrum of the wonderful world of rosés we offer.

Vigneti Massa Rosato Terra: Sic Est 2015. At Rose Water and Flatiron Wines, 929 Broadway, NY, www.flatiron-wines.com $18

These are just three of our favorites so far this summer. We generally offer a dozen or so at any given time in the height of the season. We hope you can come by and enjoy one with us while the weather is warm, or stop by one of the fine retailers listed above. There’s no better way to celebrate the season with friends and family than sipping a chilly glass of delicious wine with the foods of summer.

Autumn = Cider (And Wine, of Course!)

November 30, 2015 By John Tucker Filed Under: Eat Local Tagged With: autumn, cider, fall, rosewater, wine

One of the joys of owning a seasonal restaurant is the pleasure we get from shaping the drinks list to reflect the contents of the Chef’s market basket as it changes through the year—it never gets old! With autumn now in full swing, let’s consider a few delicious wine and cider bottles that can be everyday pairings with the greenmarket foods of autumn and early winter, and be great for the holiday table, too.

At Rose Water, summer’s icy plum ginger agua fresca is just a memory, and we’re now warming our hands around a cup of hot, spiced apple cider.

Around the time that the first local apples of the season appeared, the pink wines started to retire from the wine list, and by the time the hard squashes arrived, the number of white wines started to thin from summer’s peak. The selections have moved a wee bit to the weightier side. We’ve expanded the array of natural red wines from Europe, South America, and the U.S. to pair with sturdy bitter greens, root vegetables, and the roasted game and braised beef that came in with the chillier weather. And the artisanal ciders, both apple and pear, flat and fizzy, have resumed their seasonal berth on the list.

We have a longstanding tradition of pairing cider with our tasting menus at the first real chill of fall. In recent years, every autumn we learn of a couple new and exciting producers of artisanal cider, many from New York, and we list at least half a dozen or more, both from the northeastern U.S. as well as France and Spain. The best ciders are great with food. They just feel like the most perfect drink for autumn, and in the same way that summer without rosé is unimaginable for us, autumn equals cider. If you haven’t discovered the pleasures of a good cider yet, do yourself a solid and beat a path to your local natural wine store. They’ll have several selections, at a minimum, and can guide you through them; from light to heavy, squeaky clean to funky and unfiltered, and from austerely dry to candy sweet. Like wine, they range across a large spectrum of characteristics. And, like wine, they can range from to cheap to expensive (though the most complex ciders are still cheaper than fine wine).

One of our alltime faves, year in and out, is Eric Bordelet’s Poiré Authentique from Normandy. Bordelet produces pear and apple ciders of extraordinary quality, complexity, and value. At about 4 percent alcohol, they are wonderful as an aperitif when cooking Thanksgiving dinner. At home, we sip the Poiré Authentique instead of wine or beer because it’s dry and light on it’s feet, with soft, happy bubbles—and the low alcohol keeps us awake and on task in the kitchen. Eric Bordelet works with more than twenty varieties of organic/biodynamic cider apples and fourteen types of pears, chosen to provide not just sweet flavors, but bitter and sour as well. The fruits that we all use for baking and eating out of hand generally don’t make the best cider. The heirloom varietals that Eric and other great producers use are often inedible, but when blended in cider they make for a complex and beguiling drink. We love all the Bordelet apple and pear ciders, but the Poiré Authentique is a favorite for it’s incredible pear perfume, hint of sweetness, bracing minerality, and freshness. It’s on the list at RW from autumn to late winter, often by the glass and as a pairing with our Market Menu and Chef’s Tasting Menu. Bordelet makes more expensive bottlings, but the Authentique is a great value, and a wonderful entry to cider for those beginning to explore them. You can find it at Slope Cellars here in Park Slope. ($17.99, www.slopecellars.com)

Over the last handful of vintages we’ve come to love the Dashe Cellars “Les Enfants Terribles” Zinfandels from Northern California. Mike Dashe makes a number of different Zinfandels, but for the two Enfants Terribles (Wild Children) bottlings he sources grapes from two organic farms in Mendocino: Heart Arrow Ranch and the high-elevation McFadden Farm. Mike makes the Enfants wines in the natural style, with wild yeast fermentations, aged in used, large oak barrels, and he adds very little sulphur. Be forewarned: These are not your dad’s overblown, high alcohol, impossible-to-pair-with-food Zinfandels. They’re much more restrained, with alcohol levels usually under 14 percent, and they pair just beautifully with food. The new vintage is usually released in early fall, and we love to serve them through the colder months and with the main course for Thanksgiving dinner at the restaurant. With spicy, fresh fruit and just enough backbone and zingy acidity, they complement roasted bird and all of the classic dishes of autumn and the holiday table. Because European wines are frequently more restrained and therefore often better with food, we frequently go with French or Italian when choosing wine for a meal. But especially on the most American of holidays, Thanksgiving, we like to serve an American wine, and the Dashe Enfants Zins are light and restrained enough to not overwhelm dinner—just fruity enough to please those that like a more modern style. The Heart Arrow has slightly more pronounced fruit and the McFadden is a little less ripe due to the higher elevation of the vineyard where the air is cooler. Also available at Slope Cellars (around $27, www.slopecellars.com )

We wish you a happy autumn season with bountiful family meals, good food, and delicious cider and wine!

In The Pink

August 10, 2015 By John Tucker Filed Under: Eat Local Tagged With: local business, rose, rosewater, wine

When the days grow longer, and the mercury moves steadily north on the thermometer, excitement grows at Rose Water as we anticipate the arrival of summer’s vibrant greens, beans, and berries. And our thoughts about wine (we’re always thinking about wine!) start gravitating away from big, burly Cab Francs to the whites of Long Island and the cooler, lighter Jura mountain reds—preferably straight from the fridge! But, what really catches our wine fancy when the weather warms is rosé—in the whole, wide, wonderful world of wine, nothing says summer like pink wine!

Right around the time that spring ramps and fiddleheads arrive in our kitchen we introduce the first rosé wines of the season, starting with a couple of the better bottles from last year that we held in the cellar over the winter. By late June and early July, just as the early summer fruit and veg come in, we offer at least a baker’s dozen: From lean, zingy Austrians at one end of the spectrum, to ripe, juicy Californians at the other. In between, there’s fresh, fruity Beaujolais and a deliciously smoky rosé from the Canary Islands (of all places!).

Red wine gathers it’s deep color when the juice of the pressed grapes spends days or even weeks on the skins, which impart not only those incredible ruby hues, but the tannins and the depth that we associate with red wine. Rosé, on the other hand, is usually made from the juice of red wine grapes that spends only hours in contact with the skins. The relatively short time that the juice macerates on the skins provides the pinkish color and a lighter body. Rosé lives in a place between white and red not just in color—in the best examples it marries both the fresh, mineral crispness of white with the lighter side of red wine’s savory and spicy character. And it compliments the food of summer—grilled vegetables and fish, as well as roast lamb and even beef.

John Tucker with his summer 2015 selection. — John Tucker with his summer selections.

Here are three of our favorites for Summer 2015…
We offer a changing selection of rosé every year, but there’s a few wines we return to again and again. One of our faves every vintage comes from one of our most loved Sancerre producers, Lucien Crochet. In addition to their white wine, we cherish their Pinot Noir Rosé. It’s always stunning, year in and year out, and 2014 is no exception. It smells of fresh strawberries, and tastes it, too, but there’s bracing minerality and perfect balance—complex and elegant. You can quaff this wine on a summer evening or at an afternoon picnic, but it aslo complements food beautifully—especially shellfish, crustaceans, and poultry. Available at RW, fairly widely online, and as of press time, at our great South Slope retailer specializing in natural wine, Slope Cellars (www.slopecellars.com, $29.99).

Lately we’ve been fascinated with red wines from the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago just sixty-two miles west of Morocco. The volcanic, porous soils on almost every island produce wines with intense minerality. One of our favorite wineries is Fronton de Oro on Gran Canaria Island. Their 2014 Rosado is made primarily from the ancient Spanish varietal Listan Negro, and it’s fabulously unique and delicious. Like many Canary Island wines, the light, fresh berry fruit and minerality are complemented with a slightly smoky, savory quality, and a touch of salinity. We’ve been happily pairing this with grilled quail! Available at RW, and at Chambers Street Wines (www.chambersstwines.com, $17.99).

Heirloom varietal grapes fit in beautifully with our approach to food and bring an endless fascination. We’re always trying to look a little beyond the everyday—whether we’re talking tomatoes or grapes—and we try to support small farmers and agricultural traditions. Buying heirloom varietals often does both. An heirloom grape that we come back to nearly every summer is Ciliegiolo (chee-lee’ah-JOH-loh). The word for cherry in Italian is ciliegia, and when you see the 2014 Ciliegiolo from Bisson in Portofino, Liguria, it’s easy to understand how the grape got its name—the bottle glows an intense cherry red, and the wine inside is a mouth-filling ode to its juicy namesake. Bisson’s Ciliegiolo is actually a very light red wine made and marketed as a richer style of rosé. It’s a rare grape, and like many heirloom varietals, it can be difficult to grow. Anyone can plant sauvignon blanc vines and expect to get a marketable crop. Heirloom varietals are often persnickety and fickle, but they reward the grower, willing to take the economic risk of a disastrous vintage, with what are often fascinating and beguiling wines. We support winemakers willing to risk hardship in pursuit of carrying on an agricultural tradition in their region by forgoing the easy way. 2014 Bisson Ciliegiolo is available at RW and at Slope Cellars (www.slopecellars.com, $17.99)

These are not mass market wines, so their availability can dry up quickly, but there’s great stuff out there if you ask around at your favorite restaurant or bottle shop. Take a chance on something you haven’t tried before!

Here’s hoping you share our summer passion—pink wine from around the globe—cheers!