A Rosé Revolution

	Natalie Bovis, founder of The Liquid Muse website

Ever since The New York Times Sunday Styles section proclaimed rosé wine “the summer drink to be seen with” back in 2006, the pink drink’s popularity has soared to new heights—and many would argue it’s about time. Once widely disdained among wine lovers and wrongly associated with the sweet blush wines of yesteryear, rosé is finally experiencing its rightful renaissance. It’s long been a staple in Europe (especially in the South of France and Spain, where the grapes are grown), but only recently have Americans—and Angelenos—come to accept and embrace rosé as a legitimate libation.

“There has been such a movement in the last decade of people really falling in love with wine, and here in California’s winegrowing regions, winemakers are getting more creative and including rosés in their portfolios,” says Natalie Bovis, an LA- and Barcelona-based author and cocktail expert known for her website, The Liquid Muse. “[The trend] really boils down to fine restaurants starting to include rosé on their menus.”

On the heels of the upsurge comes a brand-new slew of rosé Champagnes and sparkling wines, as well as innovative, colorful rosé liqueurs and spirits (Courvoisier Rosé, anyone?). And while rosé wine is largely considered to be a summer drink, pink bubbly is poised to become a popular choice this holiday season. “Sparkling wine is the ideal cocktail to serve during the holidays, whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year’s Eve,” says Bovis. “Rosé is a logical choice because it’s so festive, fun, and chic.”

Rosés: What to Order Now
Just how chic is it? Kamran Pahlavi, cofounder and president of La Cienega’s Rosé restaurant—where the crowning glory of the Champagne menu is a $130,000 bottle of Dom Pérignon Rosé 96 Gold—is a great person to ask. “Rosé Champagne is more expensive because it’s more rare,” says Pahlavi, adding that the big-ticket bottle of Dom is reportedly one of just seven in the world. Also on the list at the St-Tropez-themed restaurant are rosés by Ruinart, Moët & Chandon Impérial, and Krug.

But Rosé is far from the only boldface restaurant in LA offering high-end rosé Champagnes. Diners at Mr Chow and The Ivy can sip on Laurent-Perrier’s Cuvée Rosé, while the copper-clad Beau Joie is the pink bubbly of choice at Mastro’s Steakhouse. Soho House West Hollywood offers Domaine Chandon Étoile Rosé and Schramsberg Brut Rosé, among many others, and Chateau Marmont serves Gosset Rosé and Billecarte-Salmon Brut Rosé. Melrose’s Red O Restaurant is also in on the action— according to resident mixologist Steven Calabro, the demand for the restaurant’s resident rosé Champagne has grown exponentially over the last eight months. “People have become more familiar with brand names, and they’re coming in and requesting our Nicolas Feuillatte; it’s startling to see how many people are buying it,” says Calabro.

Pairing Pleasure
And though not all rosé wines and Champagnes have exorbitant price tags or easily recognizable names, they do have one common denominator: They all pair amazingly well with food. “Rosé used to have a stigma because people immediately thought of white Zinfandel and that it would be too sweet to pair with food,” says Bovis. “Modern wine drinkers know rosé has a really nice, dry, slightly fruity flavor; it’s ideal for everything from a Provence-style picnic to a pairing with hard cheeses, grilled vegetables, or pork and chicken dishes.”

Over at Red O Restaurant, Calabro is experimenting with rosé pairings in an entirely different way. Since Courvoisier debuted its rosé cognac in June, Calabro has been using the pink spirit in some cocktails at the modern Mexican mainstay to give them depth and character. “Traditional sangrias are made from brandy and red-wine grapes, so the Courvoisier Rosé incorporates two of the essential ingredients,” says Calabro. “It really adds a nice character and depth and keeps the sangria from being too sugary. Cognac inherently has those really beautiful notes without the sugar.”

Also making waves is rosé vermouth, which Bovis says is beginning to garner buzz stateside. “Rosé vermouth is just starting to trickle into the US, which is fun because it obviously picks up on the rosé trend,” she says. “It gives mixologists a wider window to play with vermouth in their cocktails.” According to Bovis, other pink spirits to watch are Nuvo sparkling liqueur (a blend of French vodka, sparkling white wine, and passion-fruit nectar), and Pinky vodka (which has no wine component but was developed by champion wine tasters).

No matter what your palate prefers, it’s clear rosé is here to stay—and that it’s no longer confined to only wines. As Shakespeare once said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” and this evergrowing, surprising spectrum of rosés is sure to enhance the sweet life as well.