Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 22 APRIL 2021 There's a certain skip in our step as the first shades of spring take hold, and everywhere a spectacle of color comes to life. The purple crocuses rise toward the sun; a burst of yellow that only daffodils and forsythia bring; verdant grass to quote John Updike, "the color of liquid green." A panorama of coral, violet, and gold sweeps the sky. Beauty on the verge is April, a vision of hope and something we thirst for these days. What better accompaniment than rosé, a Rosé is the harbinger of the spring sipping season. BY PAIGE FARRELL SPRING SIPS E AT + D R I N K darling of the wine world, especially come spring, and a veritable chameleon at that. Rosé wines come in a kaleidoscope of colors, textures, and styles—running the gamut from dry to sweet to sparkling, and made all over the world with myriad grape varietals. Black grape varietals are most commonly used, although some gray varietals, such as pinot gris are introduced. Grape juice is clear, hence the color and personality of rosé comes from the skins of the grape. The skins are left to macerate with the grape juice, dependent on the color desired, and the grape varietal used. Heartier black grape varietals such as syrah and mourvèdre will inevitably offer more extraction. Likewise, thin-skinned varietals such as pinot noir and nebbiolo will more easily produce a lighter style of rosé. A common method used for making PHOTOGRAPH BY JARED CHARNEY deeper, more structured, and tannic rosés, which often look and behave like a light red wine, is the saignée method, which is a process of "bleeding off " a portion of juice from a red wine during fermentation, then use it to make a rosé. Blending white and red wine is another way to make rosé, but not commonly practiced, as it eliminates the complexities of both the finished product and the process. Ultimately, a rosé's disposition is a matter of timing and the intention of the winemaker. To help kick off this season of optimism, four passionate North Shore wine retailers share a selection of their favorite, harbinger of spring, vintage 2020 rosés, poised and eager to take center stage. L AU R E N M O R A N , HONEYCOMB 248 Bay Rd., Hamilton, 978-626-0014, honeycombhamilton.com + 2020 Upwell, Lodi, California $18 A collaboration between winemaker Eric Clemons and Coeur Wine Company, made with Spanish varietal tempranillo. Deep in color, ripe fruit, lovely aromatics, and quietly brooding. Distributed by Arborway Imports + 2020 Christina, Burgenland, Austria $19 Christina Netzl produces a deep wine of undulating texture and heightened aromatics where cherries and strawberries keep time with a steady minerality. Made with Zweigelt, this is a wine for contemplation. Distributed by Olmstead Wine Company S A R A H M A R S H A L L , LUCILLE WINE BAR AND TASTING ROOM 776 Washington St., Lynn, 781-584-4695, lucillewineshop.com +2020 Seehof, Rheinhessen, Germany $20 A staple for the team at Lucille, juicy, aromatic, and quaffable, with great acidity, made entirely of pinot noir, from winemaker Florian Fauth. Distributed by Vineyard Road + 2020 Domaine Zafeirakis, Thessaly, Greece $20 Made with indigenous varietal limniona, a fruity, mineral laced, and herbaceous style, Lauren Moran of Honeycomb in Hamilton stocks up on rosé for spring.