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NADER KHOURI PLEASING PAIRINGS Operators appreciate the fact that rosés can be paired with a wide range of foods and flavors. At Poggio Trattoria in Sausalito, CA, wine director Noel Diaz thinks seafood is a great match for many rosés. For instance, he pairs a dish of seared scallops with sunchoke puree, toasted almonds and pancetta ($14) with a variety of rosés. What's more, Diaz says, the frequently low-alcohol levels of many rosés make them easy to pair with several dishes that extend beyond the traditional seafood matches. Poggio Trattoria serves five rosés, priced at $9 a glass or $25 to $45 a bottle. At Towne Stove and Spirits, a modern American restaurant in Boston, general manager Johna Willis agrees that rosés are ideal with seafood, particularly light fish and shellfish. He carries five rosés from Italy and California, priced at $8 to $12 a glass and $32 to $45 a bottle. "The sky seems to be the limit with food pairings," says Anthony Serignese, general manager of New York's sharedplates restaurant and lounge Stanton Social. He loves to enjoy rosés with oysters: "Some nice mineral French rosé for some East Coast, briny oysters, and some fatter American rosé for some sweeter, West Coast oysters," he recommends. Stanton Social carries one rosé by the glass for $14 and a few by the bottle, priced from $52 to $120. Serignese hopes that rosé's current success will be measured not as a fleeting trend, but more "like a strong and steady friend, waiting for you reliably every spring." Beyond seafood and grilled foods, rosés also work well with salads, according to Adam Jed, cofounder of Bluestem Brasserie, a local food-focused restaurant in San Francisco. He notes that salads with berries and tomatoes can bring out the best flavor in some rosés. Rosés are also a go-to wine for many typical American foods, such as barbequed meats, Jed says. Bluestem Brasserie carries one still and one sparkling rosé, priced from $9 to $16 a glass and $75 a bottle. GRAPE EXPECTATIONS The range of grape varieties used to produce rosés is vast and generally plays to known grapes that have a strong reputation in their country of origin. "Some grapes lend themselves to being more aromatic, while others bring a great, fresh berry component to the palate, while others drink like they are made from a rainbow of citrus," says Diaz. Classic grapes used for rosés in Southern France include syrah and grenache, whereas in Italy rosés can be made of intense red grapes like nebbiolo—typical of the Northwestern region of Piedmont. Wine makers in the U.S. tend to focus on what grows well locally; they use everything from pinot noir to syrah for rosé. In fact, many rosé producers in California have turned to pinot noir as a stylistic benchmark. The rosés made from pinot noir are often more popular given their lightness of style, says The Cosmopolitan's Lammi. It's also probable that they are more www.cheersonline.com Poggio Trattoria in Sausalito, CA, serves five rosés. Below, its wine director Noel Diaz. easily recognizable, given the grape's fame in many regions of California and Oregon, as well as France. ROSÉ OUTLOOK In a sign of the category's growing appeal, many operators are trying to expand their offerings and better promote their rosés. Instead of listing a handful of rosés in the by-the-glass wine offerings or simply hand-selling them, several establishments have dedicated a special section of their wine lists to rosés. For instance, rosés occupy their own section on the wine list at The Cosmopolitan. And at Poggio, rosés have their own heading on the wine list and are then subdivided by producer, varietal and region, according to Diaz. Wine directors nationwide need to take up the banner for rosés: "There are so many incredible rosés out there right now, and it's part of our job to educate people" about them, Lammi says. It will be well worth the effort, he notes. "I really think it will become one of the best new things this year." MAY 2013 | 43