"When does Summer of Rosé kick off?"
We've fielded this question dozens of times over the past month or so. You may not like the answer. We're not doing Summer of Rosé this year.
Take a moment. Freak out. Punch your pillow. Compose yourself. Fall to pieces again.
Rest easy: there will still be plenty of pink options on our menu this summer. But our particular brand of rosévangelism has always been built on the belief that rosé deserves a year-round place in our hearts and palates — it's no post-summer faux pas like white shoes after Labor Day. So as a dedicated seasonal focus, we're moving on. That said:
Long live the Reds of Summer.
Because there's nothing like inky, heavy, tannic AF Cahors in blast-furnace weather, amirite? Come on, you know that's not what we mean. What we mean are lighter-bodied, lower-alcohol, higher-acid reds that bring serious deliciousness, especially when you throw them in a cooler for 20 or 30 minutes. What we mean are Frappato from Sicily, Schiava from Alto Adige, Gamay from Beaujolais (and elsewhere), Xinomavro from Greece, Blaufränkisch from Austria, and old-vine País from Chile's Maule Valley. And on the bubbly end of the spectrum, don't forget Lambrusco! The Chillin Reds, we call them — and you'll find they're just as refreshing as (and probably a lot more complex than) any rosé you put up against them.
On a non-chill note, we'll round out our Summer Red list with some stone-cold BBQ classics like Zinfandel and Tempranillo, just in case you have a pig picking or bull roast to attend.
Look for our list to start changing over next week. First, we need you to help us drink through a glut of Loire wines from our spring focus!