Summer is here, time for pink!

Just like food, wine consumption patterns change with the seasons, and as we eat more meals grilled outside, salads and other summer treats we also start to consume more white wine than red, and tastes shift to lighter-bodied wines.

One of the obvious trends over the last two years that we have seen, and frankly have helped to encourage, is the enjoyment of dry rose. No easy task, as we have had to encourage folks to purge the memory of the cloying, overly sweet pink wines of the past, and embrace those fermented bone dry, with bright acidity and crisp finishes. Truth be told though, when you taste a wine like that it will become your go-to summer coiffeur. Chill these dry roses down and have a glass on a warm summer day and you will get it very quickly.

Spanning price ranges, dry rose is readily available for just about every budget. Part of the price difference is due to the manufacturing process. Most domestic roses are produced through saignee, which is the French term for removing wine from the tank during the fermentation process to more fully concentrate the color and tannins of the remaining wine. This juice that is "bled off" then finishes fermentation without additional contact with the skins of the red grapes producing the great pale color.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this process and it will produce some wonderful wine, however since it is made from what is essentially a by-product it is less expensive.

The other way that rose is manufactured is to harvest, crush, ferment and age the grapes and subsequent wine to be rose. From growing conditions all the way through bottling, the wine is destined to be pink, resulting in a higher price.

At the end of the day ,the manufacturing method is somewhat irrelevant. What is important is to try different styles of dry rose until you find one you like. Here are some places to start your experimentation.

One of the favorites of our customers based on sales, and one of our favorites based on what we like is the Pink Belly from Skylark winery in Mendocino County in California. For the first time winemakers John Lancaster and Rob Perkins have produced the wine from 100 percent Grenache, and it is made saignee. The winery makes a very small amount, only about 100 cases, and it is produced in the style of the great wines made in the Tavel region of France. Light and crisp with flavors of strawberry, the wine is fabulous again in the current 2009 vintage for $19.50.

Another one of our favorites from past years that we will have again shortly is the Elk Cove Rose of Pinot Noir. The Elk Cove winery in Oregon makes quite a lot of this pink wine, so we rarely run out and it represents a great bargain at $15.

Local producers are not to be left out either - we know that Coeur d'Alene Cellars is producing a dry rose of Syrah this year, although we have yet to try it. Also Post Falls-based Timber Rock winery produces a rose of Sangiovese for around $11 that we find delightful, and has some of the best label art of any rose we have seen.

The Etude winery from the Carneros Region of Napa County produces one of our favorites although the style is slightly richer. Still bone dry, the wine imparts more weight on the palate with flavors shifted more towards cherries than the traditional strawberry flavors. The wine retails for $21.

Perhaps the best from overseas is the Domaine Tempier Rose from the Bandol region in Provence. It is one of our favorite pink wines for special occasions, retailing at $39 it is best enjoyed in a shady spot by the lake with a platter of olives, cured meats, and cheeses.

Also from France but at a more compelling price is the rose from Chateau de Lascaux in the Languedoc appellation for $15. This is the most crisp of any of our rose selections with bright citrus flavors that are refreshing without being acidic.

Finally, two wines that are truly bargains, the Charles and Charles Rose made saignee from Syrah retails for $10 and is another delightful bottling from Charles Smith of K Vintners fame. The Toad Hollow Rose of Pinot Noir is another fabulous choice for $10 also.

So next time you are headed out on the boat or to the deck or for your pre-barbeque aperitif, reach for the pink bottle of wine, it just simply does not get any better on a warm summer day.

E-Mail George with questions or anything wine related you would like to read about in the press at George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press, ldukes@cdapress.com.

George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene. www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.