Gourmet Magazine (USA) Avril 2009

Eight Great Rosé Wines

04.08.09

When you live in the north, the longest season isn’t winter; it’s the bridge between winter and spring, when our chlorophyll reserves have fallen perilously low and we begin to exhibit hypothermia-like symptoms of peeling off clothes even when it’s not actually warm enough to do so. To hasten the arrival of warmer, brighter days (inside, at any rate), assemble an array of rosés. Their cheery pink hue puts the fridge in a party mood, damn the lack of green vegetables; their flavors are just rich enough with red fruit to take the edge off a cool night while they have the bright, sense-awakening snap of spring’s first sunny days.

Domaine de L’Estel 2008 Vin du Pays du Gard Rosé, $16/1.5L

The best part of this light, fresh rosé may be that it comes in a 1.5-liter bag-in-box (and for $16, which works out to about 17 3-ounce glasses at $.94 each). It’s made by Domaine de Coudoulis in Lirac, near the double-decker arches of the Pont du Gard; a blend of grenache and cinsault, it’s the sort of wine you want on a hot day with a ham sandwich. Since the bag inside the box is airtight, the wine lasts for weeks after you’ve poured the first glasses. Not that a box has ever lasted that long around here, but theoretically…