Occasionally, our food blogger gets wine-related things sent to her for review and has been kind enough to pass them on to one of the Swirlers to review for the paper and this blog. When I got an email from her saying she had received some wine and did I want to review it, I ran to her desk, grabbed the box, and literally ran out of the building.

I unpacked the box and found several beautiful rosés staring at me, almost begging for a summer soireé. So I invited over the Swirlers and set about to find the perfect food pairings.

I consulted Dry-Gwen, who consulted her books about food and wine pairings and together we came up with a menu specifically designed for the rosés.

We started out on my back porch in true summer-sipping style with the 2008 El Coto Rioja, a blend of Grenache and Tempranillo and a goat-fig cheese spread with fresh bread. It has a suggested retail price of 12 dollars. We were all blown away by the color of the wine. It was truly one of most beautiful colors I’ve ever seen in a wine. Pink, cotton candy and a hue that said “savor me.” I made each Swirler give me her impression, so based on what sort of wine you like, you know whom you can trust. Here goes:

Dry: Approachable, easy-drinking, it feels sweet and fruity. Will likely please a broad range, perfect for summer. Would like it more if it was a bit more dry. When I asked if she liked it or not, she pointed to her almost empty glass and Dry replied “look how much I have left compared to everyone else!”

Bold: Will appeal to people who like spritzers, very pretty and would buy for herself. Thought it was perfect with the fig and goat cheese.

Earthy: She liked the wine and immediately noticed little bubbles. She said it best: “It’s a friendly, happy wine.” Will likely appeal to people who like sweet and dry.

Sweet: It’s light and lovely and would be perfect with an afternoon spent by the pool. Must find friends with pool.

After finishing that bottle up, we moved inside for dinner. We had a summer tomato salad with mozzarella and fresh basil, goat cheese ravioli and herb-grilled chicken with a 2008 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côtes du Rhône Parallèle 45. It has a suggested retail price of 13 dollars. It’s a mix of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah. The dinner was absolutely delicious (if I do say so) and the wine was a more solid accompaniment. I bugged the Swirlers at the end for their opinions and here’s what I got. And for the record, it’s probably a better idea to get their impressions before the end of the meal!

Dry: Thicker, fuller body and drier; more her style. Has a longer finish and more complexity and is a better wine for food. She’d buy this wine before she’d buy the Rioja.

Bold: The bottles are a perfect duo to provide sweeter and drier. Would drop raspberries into the first but not the second.

Earthy: Very drinkable and still refreshing. Probably won’t appeal to people who like sweeter wine.

Sweet: A little dry for my taste. It paired well with dinner but I probably wouldn’t buy it.

Just in case you’re wondering, we had chocolate-covered strawberries and sorbet for dessert and sipped whatever wine was left. It was a great night of trying new wine and creating a meal based around the wine, something I look forward to doing in the future. To open it up, do any of the readers like rose wine during the summer? What do you usually serve with them? And finally, do roses have a bad reputation?