A wine for the start of rosé season — and day drinking
Some grapes are better suited to rosé winemaking than others. Cabernet franc brings a savory quality, as seen in the Contempo Dry Rosé from Chile.
Contempo Dry Rosé
Cachapoal Valley, Chile
$11.49 13% alcohol
PLCB Item #96274
Sale price through May 4; regularly $13.49
Spring has sprung so it’s time to get ready for rosé season. Rosé wines can be made anywhere that dark-skinned grapes ripen and come in a diverse range of styles. But it can be hard to know what to expect in terms of flavor and style. For example, this wine’s colorful paint-swatch inspired packaging leaves much to the imagination with its minimalist messaging. A shopper would need to read the fine print to learn that it’s made in Chile’s Cachapoal Valley, or scan the QR code to discover that it’s a multi-grape blend dominated by cabernet franc.
Some grapes are better suited to rosé winemaking than others, most notably thin-skinned varieties that make lighter-colored red wines. The grenache vine that dominates the global center of rosé culture in the south of France is particularly well adapted, as is pinot noir in colder zones, because rosé winemaking works best with early-harvested fruit that is not yet fully ripe. The thick-skinned varieties that make the darkest red wines can taste quite green and bitter at this stage, so are rarely chosen for rosé winemaking.
Of the Bordeaux family of red grapes that dominate Chile — which includes cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and malbec — cabernet franc is the best bet for making pink wines like this one, thanks to its paler color and naturally high acidity. Cabernet franc brings a savory quality to rosés, as seen with the appetizing tomato and olive undercurrent that supports this wine’s fruit flavors of raspberry and watermelon. As the light comes earlier and stays longer, give this wine a try for daytime drinking with a tomato salad or antipasto.
No alternate retail locations within 50 miles of Philadelphia, according to www.Wine-Searcher.com