5 Foods That Beg for Rosé

Jlona Dobler • May 17, 2023

5 Foods That Beg for Rosé (Article from Wine Spectator, by Kristen Bieler)

Some spring faves can be tricky to match. The answer is rosé, a most versatile companion

Ah, rosé season. For many wine lovers, the arrival of the new vintage of pink wine heralds the return of spring.


One of rosé’s many charms is the crisp, perfumed refreshment it delivers on its own, making it a perfect apéritif. But many rosés also deserve a seat at the table, as these dry, vibrant wines are especially versatile with food. With the racy acidity of white wine and the fruit character and subtle bitterness of a red, rosé can complement an impressively wide range of flavors and dishes. In fact, rosé can be a pairing problem-solver: It’s one of the few wines that works with notoriously difficult-to-pair foods such as artichokes and asparagus.


Not all rosés are up to the challenge, of course. Seek out top producers from Spain, Italy and France to discover a stylistically diverse collection of gastronomic wines that are ideally suited to enhancing many classic springtime bites.


ARTICHOKES

A spicier rosé cut through the meatiness of artichokes

Artichokes have gotten a bad rap for being difficult to pair with wine, but they are more flexible than most people realize. They do contain an ester called cynarine, which can amplify the impression of sweetness in anything consumed alongside them, so the key is choosing a wine that is bone-dry with high acidity and no oak. The answer? Rosé. Because artichokes have a meaty texture, and can develop a nutty richness when fried, roasted, braised or grilled, they can stand up to a more flavorful, spicier rosé.


ASPARAGUS

With high levels of sulfur, asparagus is tamed by citrusy, unoaked rosé

Like rosé, asparagus is synonymous with the spring season. It’s a versatile ingredient in the kitchen—in pastas, salads, soups and with anything grilled. But asparagus is famously difficult with wine.

A member of the lily family, asparagus contains high levels of sulfurous acids, which can cause many wines to taste funky, vegetal, harsh or even spoiled. The same compounds are found in Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli and garlic, yet asparagus holds the title as wine’s toughest challenger.


By cooking asparagus longer or adding creamy cheese sauces or butter, it’s possible to mitigate this clash. But the best solution for wine lovers who want to appreciate the vegetable in a fresher, less adulterated form is to choose a friendly wine companion. Sauvignon Blanc is a frequent suggestion, but grassy versions can be overkill with green asparagus. Instead, try a citrusy, herbal, unoaked rosé.


“Asparagus can overpower a delicate white wine and clash with the tannins in a red, so rosé is an excellent choice,” says Kelly Booth, head sommelier at chef Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Napa Valley. Choose a rosé that is crisp and vibrant and low in tannins, she advises, which will complement, rather than conflict with, the distinctive and pronounced vegetable flavor.


EGGS

Given their high sulfur content, eggs call for wines without too much tannin or oak
Sparkling wine and drinks featuring bubbly lay claim to the brunch throne, but rosé may be even more deserving of the crown. That’s largely because of its ability to complement eggs. Like other foods tricky to pair with wine, eggs contain sulfurous compounds, which can make wines taste funky or metallic, so you want to avoid tannins or anything with noticeable oak. But eggs are also rich, and in brunch dishes often combined with cheese, cured meat or smoked salmon—strong flavors that could mask a delicate white. Rosé has the flexibility to bridge this gap, says Cory Holt, beverage director at Maialino, a brunch destination restaurant in New York: “Cacio e Pepe Eggs, one of our most popular breakfast dishes, features scrambled eggs with plenty of salty pecorino and fresh-cracked black pepper. Going for a rosé that is bright, fresh, but not too light in texture is the move.”


A big fan of Italy’s Rosato's, he stocks his list with crisp versions that “inherently do much of what white wine does yet have the textural oomph and chewiness of a light red. Rosé is the Swiss Army Knife wine.”


JAMÓN

Nothing pairs with well-aged ham quite like a floral, slightly bitter Rosé

For a truly divine—and incredibly simple—wine and food experience, serve slices of jamón, the renowned salt-cured ham of Spain, with chilled glasses of rosé. “The fruit and acidity in rosé provide an ideal balance for the nuttiness and salinity of the pork,” says Danny Lledó, chef and owner of Xiquet in Washington, D.C.

This goes for the standard jamón serrano, served at nearly every bar in Spain, as well as the elite jamón Ibérico, made from the prized black pig and featuring a higher fat content and a more complex and nutty flavor. Bright and zesty, rosé harmonizes beautifully with the meat’s flavorful fat and intense saltiness.

The same formula applies to the sweeter, slightly more delicate Italian prosciutto—and really all charcuterie, says Alex Raij, chef and owner of Saint Julivert in Brooklyn, N.Y.


“Rosé has the freshness to cut through any salted, well-marbled meat with a bit of spice, such as salami rosso, but with the body, structure and finish of a red wine,” she says. Raij finds versions that feature white pepper and grapefruit pith bitterness to be especially suited for uplifting cured and dried meats.


BOUILLABAISSE
The saffron, garlic and punchy seafood in bouillabaisse meet their match with fuller-bodied roses

The theory that foods and wines from a particular region have evolved over time to naturally complement one another is borne out in the chemistry between rosé and this famous French fish stew.


Bouillabaisse originated in the coastal village of Marseille in the 19th century. A poor man’s soup made with unsold fish and bones and flavored with lots of spices, it was washed down with the local rosé. Liberal pinches of saffron impart that spice’s signature yellow-orange color, which evokes the Mediterranean sunshine. And the (mandatory) liberal dollop of spicy, garlicky rouille on top packs an especially robust flavor punch.


At chef Thomas Keller’s Bouchon, in Napa, sommelier Kelly Booth turns to the Bandol appellation in Provence for slightly denser, fuller-bodied rosés to pair with the bistro’s bouillabaisse and other brothy, spicy seafood dishes, like its Moules au Safran. “Rosé works really well with the pronounced flavors of saffron and fennel,” she notes.


So, after all this important knowledge we say "Cheers" to Summertime and to Rosé!

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