What We’re Drinking

It’s amazing that even though more than a decade has passed since the great white zinfandel craze of the ’90s, people still associate all pink-hued wines with them. Offer people a glass of rose and you are likely to see furrowed brows or upturned noses, as if you handed them a glass of house red with ice cubes in it.

Truth is, as the months get warmer, few wines pair as perfectly with the Southwest Florida lifestyle as a nice dry rose. They are refreshing without being bland, pair well with a lot of good picnic and barbecue foods, and add a bit of merriment to any occasion.

For the past year or so, my go-to rose has been Montes Cherub Rose of Syrah. It’s got the crisp, clean flavor of a summer white, with a hint of fruitiness (especially strawberry) like a young shiraz (the grapes from which this wine springs). 

I’ve had it with pasta and pork, against which I think it pairs pretty nicely. But honestly, my favorite way to enjoy this Chilean rose is with a sunset. At less than $20 a bottle—you can pick it up at several spots around town including Tony’s off Third—it’s priced so well you might consider making it your house wine for the summer months. That’s what I’m doing.

—Jonathan Foerster is a former food and culture critic and Gulfshore Life’s executive editor.