Rosé with Pizza?
by Kermit Lynch
© Mikey Bargo
© Jane Augustine
© Tom Wolf
© Gail Skoff
Gaël Petit tastes his Tavel
© Joanie Bonfiglio
Rosé aging in concrete egg at Domaine Hauvette
© Joanie Bonfiglio
While almost no one was looking, there was a teensy swell of revolution in a few French wine cellars, an experiment to try to recreate what rosé used to be before the wine scientists fangled up the rosé winemaking recipe.
© Mikey Bargo
© Jane Augustine
© Tom Wolf
© Gail Skoff
Gaël Petit tastes his Tavel
© Joanie Bonfiglio
Rosé aging in concrete egg at Domaine Hauvette
© Joanie Bonfiglio
While almost no one was looking, there was a teensy swell of revolution in a few French wine cellars, an experiment to try to recreate what rosé used to be before the wine scientists fangled up the rosé winemaking recipe.
Rosé with Pizza?
by Kermit Lynch
Here in California where I grew up, pizza used to be a tough crust oozing with the cheapest cheese money could buy and a tomato sauce so raunchy it took a dose of macho red wine to wash it down. Cleanse the palate, as we gourmets say today. But the pizza scene has evolved, and I’m here to suggest that nowadays certain rosés can be perfectly appropriate with pizza. No, I’m not talking about those faceless rosés that flood the market. Here at 1605? At Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant? Where have you been? While almost no one was looking, there was a teensy swell of revolution in a few French wine cellars, an experiment to try to recreate what rosé used to be before the wine scientists fangled up the rosé winemaking recipe. As importers, KLWM encouraged that budding revolution and we are seeing occasional bottled results to offer for your approval and enjoyment at table.
For one thing, these are rosés that, like all red wines, finish their malolactic fermentation. It is not artificially blocked as it is in 99.9% of rosé wines. Most are bottled without filtration. Bottled intact, in other words. They ferment completely dry, can be light or full-bodied, and often they offer more tannin than we’ve learned to expect, a tannin that can come in handy with a classic pizza. Some look like rosé but have a purple heart.
I find them interesting gastronomically, because they don’t overpower the taste of whatever you serve. And of course, imagine how useful they are if, like me, you don’t always want white wine with fish.
Our stocks change. These are not assembly-line productions. Nor are they like Beaujolais Nouveau with a given release date. And I don’t want to forget mentioning, these rosés are totally appropriate during all four seasons. A Vivaldian wine, anyone?
Drop by to talk to our staff or call 510.524.1524. In the kitchen and at table, I’m having a lot of fun with these precursors. They are paving the way for the success of a more natural, old-fashioned style rosé vinification. It’s like a new toy. Here are some great rosés available now and there will be more as time goes by.
Wines In The Collection
Masseria del Pino Italy | Sicily
A rosé made via ancient methods from ashy soils high on Mount Etna.
Steiger-Kalena Italy | Molise
There’s a quality that almost feels mouth-cleansing; like a spoonful of zesty citrus sorbet in the middle of a multi-course meal.
Gaël Petit France | Southern Rhône
This bears a rich bouquet of wild strawberry, flowers, garrigue, and sweet spices, culminating in a long, stony finale.
Italy | Sicily
A rosé made via ancient methods from ashy soils high on Mount Etna.
Italy | Molise
There’s a quality that almost feels mouth-cleansing; like a spoonful of zesty citrus sorbet in the middle of a multi-course meal.
France | Southern Rhône
This bears a rich bouquet of wild strawberry, flowers, garrigue, and sweet spices, culminating in a long, stony finale.
More Collections
Stars of Southern Burgundy
Just a few decades ago, books about Burgundy centered almost exclusively around Chablis and the famed Côte d’Or, leaving out many southern villages, which count among the region’s most exciting pockets of activity today. It’s not that the appellations to the south of Burgundy’s “Golden Slope” didn’t sit atop outstanding terroirs back then—of course they did—but rather that superstar growers in the Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais were few and far between. Today, these places are glowing points on the wine map...
Champagne & Sparkling Sale
Now through the end of the year, take 20% off all Champagne & Sparkling Wine. Whether your bubbly of choice is a luxurious and elegant Champagne, a rich yet mineral Vouvray Brut, a versatile Italian Prosecco, or an aromatic Alsatian Crémant, our annual Champagne & Sparkling Sale offers all of these and many more toast-worthy bottles for every occasion.
Goldilocks and the Three Barberas
Sometimes I think Barbera gets lost in the mix of great Piemonte bar-words, most notably Barolo and Barbaresco. While the latter two are geographical zones that produce complex, age-worthy reds from the Nebbiolo variety, Barbera (Bar-BEAR-uh) is a grape that yields some of Piemonte’s most luscious and charming red wines…
New Arrivals
Here is a collection of recent arrivals. Every week, we’ll be adding a dozen or more new arrivals, so check back often for your favorite classics or new discoveries!
This Season’s Staples
It might seem counterintuitive to put the words understated and Sancerre in the same sentence, but the description is befitting of Domaine Roger Neveu, where simply beautiful standards are produced from a family whose agricultural roots date back to the 1600s…
A Classic, Vibrant Vintage from Famille Savary
Certain wine estates are all about the story: centuries of family production, obscure heirloom grape varieties, perilous vertical vineyards, radical production methods... With Domaine Savary, forget the fluff and romantic backstory. Focus instead on what’s in your glass: delicious, vibrant, classic wines that place this among the most consistent, reliable Chablis to be found…
Arretxea in Irouléguy
Oh, how far Irouléguy, the hidden gem of French Basque country, has come! Once upon a time, not so long ago, a local joke went something like this: “How do you say vinegar in Basque? Irouléguy!” Vines covered hardly any ground, and you could count the growers on a single hand. Enter the Riouspeyrous family…
The Carpe Vinum Collection
An ever-changing offering of wines that are just about to sell out; one last opportunity to seize a range of selections before they disappear from our shelves forever.
50th Anniversary Merchandise
When the esteemed French wine artist Michel Tolmer created beautiful artwork for our 50th anniversary, we knew right away that we had to feature it on a few select items of merch. After spending maybe a little too much time researching the options, we landed on a classy, leather-strap cap, a comfortable t-shirt made from 100% cotton, and a tote made with incredibly sturdy, fair-trade, and organic cotton by a certified B corp that invests in the livelihoods of women and farmers of India, featuring three wine sleeves and two other compartments for all of your other needs!
Recent Wine Club Selections
Our five wine clubs feature our best values from France and Italy as well as complex and cellar-worthy wines.
