#ARoseKindofDay
The newest addition to our summer lineup is here. This light, dry, crushable rosé is now gracing sun-drenched patios across all of our JOEY locations, and it’s a magnum—meaning there’s twice as much delicious pink stuff to enjoy with your pals.
Our new Le Fou Rosé is from France’s Mediterranean Coast, one of the most important rosé regions in the world. We sat down with our sommelier Jason Yamasaki, or JY as we like to call him, to learn more about rosé and why it pairs so well with sunshine.
Where does rosé come from?
“Fun fact, rosé was likely the first wine ever made. Back in ancient Greece, winemakers would pick both red and white grapes and crush them together. Then, the Greeks brought grape vines to southern France – and the homeland of rosé was born."
How is rosé made?
Rosé wine is made from red grapes. To make red wine, you leave the grape juice in contact with the skins for several days in order to get that deep red pigmentation. When making rosé, you leave the skins in contact with the clear grape juice for just a few hours so that it picks up just a little pigment—creating that delightful pink colour rosé is famous for. When it comes to rosé, you need to pick your grape varietals very carefully. Popular grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot oddly enough don’t make great rosés. The most ideal grapes for rosé are Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, which are the grapes Le Fou is made from.”
Besides friends, what pairs best with rosé?
“It’s remarkably diverse with food and can be paired with a lot of different items—nothing too heavy though—keep it all light. Personally, I like to sip it alongside our sushi, Panang Prawn Curry Bowl, hummus, and other light and tasty snacks.”
Why is rosé so popular?
“That’s a great question. I’d like to say that rosé is in a category of its own. There’s wine, and then there is rosé. It has mouth-watering flavours like strawberry, lemon, cranberry, and raspberry, and it’s crisp and dry quality is pleasing to a wide range of people. Plus it’s served cold—making it perfect for a hot summer day on a patio surrounded by all your friends.”