The summer solstice may be a few weeks away, but balmy temperatures, bright sun, and unusually vigorous rose blooms have us thinking summer already. Our penchant for white wines fits the summer well, but we also tend to keep a bottle or two of rosé in the vegetable drawer. Pink wine is the perfect foil for summer food.
Sommelier Andrew Thompson of Bistro du Midi (272 Boylston Street, Boston; 617-279-8000; bistrodumidi.com) agrees. In fact, the French bistro overlooking the Public Garden is going all out with rosés this summer in a reprise of the popular Tour de Rosé promotion. Two wines are featured each month along with some signature menu items from executive chef/partner Robert Sisca. For June, it’s the Grenache/Cinsault Château Sainte-Marguerite from the Côtes de Provence and Sancerre Pinot Noir rosé from Domaine Daniel Crochet. Wines are available by the glass, half glass, or bottle.
Bistro du Midi already had a striking array of good rosés on the wine list, but this program casts a spotlight on some less familiar bottles. July will feature American rosés: Gail’s ‶Doris″ Sonoma rosé made from Zinfandel and Bedrock’s ‶Ode to Lulu.″ The latter is a Bandol-style made with old-vine Mataro and Grenache. In August, the bar heads to Italy with a Tuscan rosé from La Spinetta crafted from Sangiovese and Prugnolo Gentile. It’s paired with a Susumaniello rosé (a rare grape varietal with plummy qualities) from Masseria Li Veli in Puglia. Let’s hope warm weather lingers into September, when Bistro du Midi plans a ‶victory lap″ of favorite rosés from the summer.
Another approach to summer rosé for a crowd
For summer gatherings of friends, we’ve long resorted to a white wine sangría recipe from yellowed pages of an old Bon Appétit. The recipe spikes a bottle of white wine with a third of a cup of orange Curcaçao, which provides a bit of sweetness and a slight bitterness. Andrew Thompson (below, pouring) has created a more sophisticated rosé sangría that’s being served this summer at Bistro du Midi. He graciously agreed to share the recipe:
BISTRO DU MIDI’S ROSÉ SANGRÍA
- 2 (750ml) bottles of your favorite rosé
- 100ml (3.4 oz.) Aperol
- 100ml (3.4 oz.) Cointreau
- 100ml (3.4 oz.) brandy
- 2 oranges, thinly sliced
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 1 lime, thinly sliced
- ginger ale (for serving)
- thick orange slices (for garnish)
Combine wine, Aperol, Cointreau, brandy, and sliced fruit. Refrigerate and let steep at least two hours but not more than overnight.
To serve, add a splash of ginger ale to glasses full of ice and top up with sangría. Garnish with orange slice and serve.