Why I Drink Rosé All Year and You Should Too
Rosé – the perfect summer drink. Refreshing, crisp, pairs perfectly with summer and bad decisions.
Well I am OVER IT.
I am here to introduce to you Winter Rosé.
Why just have this pink drink in the summer? “Rosé season” should be a thing of the past with it being enjoyed all year round. I have the right to have a good selection all year from liquor stores and alike! While I can fully agree with the warm, soothing effects of a big bold red in front of a cozy fire on a cold winter day, there is still no reason you can’t enjoy rosé in those bleak, winter months as well. I am not saying that it would be a great substitute to the above scenario but there certainly is a time and place between October and February for a glass of this blush hued wine.
First, I would like to point out how archaic it is to have rules for drinking. When, how or why you may drink a particular wine? This is alcoholic blasphemy. It’s like saying Champagne can only be enjoyed during a celebration, like New Years when sales spike. Champagne lovers would go nuts! That being said, bubbly rosé can be drunk year round with no side eye from everyone, no permission from summer to be allowed on a cold day. Why are we forgetting its still counterpart?
Rosé is fun! It is very commonly associated with good times and that should not be limited to a season but accepted year round, 365 days a year. Since it is associated with vacations, summer and beach parties, why wouldn’t you want to remind yourself of such great festivities full of girlfriends and summer hooks up on a cold, dreary day? Perhaps that is the cure for the winter blues, more rosé! I don’t know about you but I am already convinced thus far in my argument. If you are still not with me on #roséallyear then let’s continue.
Winter weddings and bachelorette parties, do you think they second guess themselves on rosé? No! This is a prime example of a group of ladies who came to party and had a good time and they will no matter the appropriate time of year to drink something! Channel your inner bachelorette. What would she tell you to do?
Baby showers are another great example of an excuse to drink rosé all year, if you still feel like you need one. Babies are born year round and what other reason to drink pink than drinking for the girls! What better way than to celebrate the new coming of a sweet little one with rosé, whether it’s still or sparkling.
The rosé fever has been on the rise for years as an unofficial summer time drink. Even going as far as the frozé, a frozen rosé slushie. While some versions of rosé most definitely suit the summer months more than others, there is still a rosé for every month. Winter holidays? Thanksgiving! Turkey, cranberry sauce, aperitif, relatives. All screams rosé. Valentine’s day? A day that actively includes anything pink, let it be wine! Birthdays? I am a winter baby and support rosé on my birthday.
More wineries are taking their turn in producing a delightfully pink wine to their portfolio because that is what sells in the summer. Let’s continue the rosé rage all year!
It’s also extremely affordable – with notable exceptions of course. It usually doesn’t have a high price tag and it’s most likely going to be good. However, if you are someone who wants wine with a high price tag, you can still rely on rosé. There are some you can even cellar!
There is such a variety of TYPES of rosé it’s silly not to appreciate them all, all year round. Every country has a rosé, almost every well-known red varietal has a rosé alias. You may be able to argue every region, although some may not always deserve a spot on your next rosé to try. If Bordeaux can come to terms with producing rose, why can’t we do them the honour of allowing it to grace our palates year round? You have your salmon-hued, your pretty bright pink, there’s darker borderline pinot pink. Each one has a place somewhere in the calendar year. That being said, yes, your delicate light pink rosé is better suited for warmer, sunnier days as you are sipping in your backyard or poolside. The heavier rosés out there – Syrah, Cabernet Franc, GSM – these will all be fuller, bigger and peppery rosé’s with a heavier, rounded mouth feel to them far more suited for winter’s heartier comfort foods.
Food! Rosé is an amazing food pairing wine! What do we do in the months following Christmas and New Years? We party and eat. There’s appetizers, charcuterie, foie gras, cheeses, bread – all these items rosé has a great chance of pairing with! Lighter meats like lamb or pork, soups, savoury or spicy foods can be dishes that are too light to be enjoyed with a red and rosé can be a great substitute for that! All foodies should be able to appreciate what rosé can do for them. They can have more structure than a white, yet not as overbearing as a red wine. This is one of the reasons that makes rosé great in summer (BBQs!) Yet we always seem to forget this when it gets a little chilly or rainy.
I’d also like to point out that there are people that ONLY drink white wine, year round. No one questions those peoples morals. Why do we put rosé in the spotlight like it’s a teenage girl that has sneaked out of the house? “What are you doing, it’s not June, get back in your room”
The saddest part of this story, liquor stores stop bringing in a decent selection. There’s probably a good chance you can score some rosé on the cheap as they are throwing everything on clearance to get rid of it but I am still deprived of solid choices till mid-May. Perhaps if we always had a beautiful, shimmering bottle of pink shining down on us in the liquor store, we would choose it more! Not to mention, liquor stores always have some not so tasty wine choices simply because there are those few people that come in to buy it. Do I really fair as the same people that drink Blue Nun or Mateus? If they get a proper selection, why can’t I?
Long story short, we (everyone else, not me) are depriving ourselves of such delicious beauty and it needs to stop. Are mini eggs just to be enjoyed during Easter? Shortbread limited to the Christmas season? Golf is a seasonal sport yet we condone indoor golfing to get our green fix. Hot chocolate is enjoyed year round, not limited to simply skating rinks but is a drink enjoyed around campfires. Seasonal appropriation is over in my books. Coco Chanel didn’t put up with “Don’t wear white after Labour day” and we shouldn’t adhere rosé only in summer.
Lastly, we really need to stop offering our “rosé only in summer” opinions. So many think it’s acceptable to comment on the fact that it’s raining and 10 degrees out and I am buying a bottle of rose like ” I would never do that” as the cashier gives me an eyebrow raising look like is this unacceptable. Let me tell you something Shannon, let me live my life, free of opinions.
Stop wine shaming.
Embrace the rosé. Stop limiting your hopes and dreams.
x0x0,
Rosé Girl
