Grilled Vegetables Can Have Wine

'Tis the season for grilling and vegetables are always invited. We grill our vegetables as often as possible and I've noticed it's the only way to get everyone to eat veggies.

Many of us are eating more vegetables than ever before but they are not the easiest to pair with wine. Vegetables have many different flavors which are difficult to identify making them challenging to pair with wine.

Helpful TIP - choose Rose wine.

One of the most versatile and food friendly wines available is rose.

Rose wines are made from the very same red grapes that make rich red wines. When the grapes are crushed and fermented the skins are removed before the wine turns a deeper color of red. So very simply, the color of the wine is a rose (varying shades of pink) because the skins are not releasing their color into the grape juice, soon to be wine.

Now that we know why the wine is rose (not really pink) maybe we can convince the red wine lovers it's not the pink, ladies who lunch, wine. They may also be happy to know that Malbec, Sangiovese, Montepulciano, and Merlot wines (to name a few) are made in Rose style wines.

Rose wines are for both the white wine and red wine lover. The wines have the acidity of white wine and the complexity of red wine. Since the skins are removed early the wines have less tannins making for very drinkable wines to enjoy almost anytime.

One more myth that is not completely true is that Rose wines are sweet. There are sweet Rose wines, but they are not to be confused with the 'white zinfandel' sweet wine which is considered a 'blush' wine and NOT a rose wine.

Yes, some Rose wines have added sugar to make them sweet. And some Rose wines have strong fruit flavors that sometimes fool your palate with a hint of sweetness though they are not sweet, but there are many Rose wines that are dry to enjoy with food. The red wine grape varietals (as mentioned above) are usually dry.

Choose a Rose variety to add to your summer wine rack. Serve it well chilled and enjoy it on a warm day. It's refreshing and plays well with food.

As always drink what you like, but if you want to keep your grilled vegetables tasting delicious while still enjoying your glass of wine try Rose.


Salute!
Winelady Cooks