Still Enjoie-ing Rosé in September

It's September, and though summer is an increasingly distant memory for most of us, I'm still hooked on rosé.

Thought of as a summer quaffer, the thing that makes rosé perfect for your dinner table regardless of the season is that it's a terrific food wine. It lightens up spicy pasta with red sauce and sausage. It's glorious with tuna and salmon. It's fantastic with turkey, and roast chickens with rosemary and garlic.

The 2005 Vinroc Caves Enjoie is a gutsy rosé made with Grenache and Barbera. (I received this wine as a sample; you can get a bottle for $13.99 from Wine Q, and if you are in the WineQ Good Wine Under $20 wine club, it's been added to your Q already) It had a rich, raspberry juice color which reflected its robust character. There were aromas of red currant jam, raspberries and also wet chalk and clay. The raspberries I've smelled before in a wine, and even the chalk--but not that clay note. After smelling the wine the surprises were all behind me and then I tasted pomegranate seeds--not the juice, the slightly powdery mix of seed and fruit together in the seeds. Combined with more raspberry, these flavors led into a juicy aftertaste with a mineral undertow of clay and chalk that kept you coming back for more. It was so different, and so complex, that I have to give this wine an excellent QPR rating.

Rosés like this one are a perfect partner for late summer tomatoes. I made a fresh tomato tart (or tarte aux tomates if you want to be French about it) that was terrific. Hint: disregard the 30g of yeast part of the ingredients and just use a single packet of yeast from the supermarket. It had a light, biscuity crust and wonderful swirls of cherry tomatoes, oregano, and olive oil. When it comes out of the oven, sprinkle some chiffonaded basil on top, some kalamata olives, and (if you are like me and a cheesehound) some freshly shaved Parmesan cheese. I am so proud of it that I took a picture. The biscuity crust was quite nice with the chalk/clay/mineral notes in the wine, and the pomegranate flavors worked well with the tomatoes.

Hang onto the last whiffs of summer while you can. Rosés can help.