Coming up roses
THERE IS A COMMON BELIEF, attributable in part to old advertising cam-paigns for Mateus Rose, that pink wines are somehow not serious. This is untrue, particularly in the case of champagne. Many of the finest wines of the Champagne region are roses, usually tinted by the addition of red wine to the blend or, less frequently, by leaving the juice in contact with the skins of the grapes for a short period during fermentation.
Most of the great champagne houses make roses and, in the case of certain houses, some years they make only roses. In 1986, Moet & Chandon decided that the sole expression of that particular vintage should be a rose. If you enjoy the white version of a particular champagne you are likely to find yourself equally at home with the pink one, according to Richard Geoffroy, Dom Perignon's chef de cave. 'Understand that there is one style of Dom Perignon. There is the white expression and the rose expression, but there is one style. That unique combination of rose flavours and Dom Perignon makes it very unique, very emotional,' he says.
Although champagne tends to be treated as a wine of celebration, rose champagnes also go well with food. They compliment fish, delicately-flavoured meat dishes and even some cheeses. Rose wines can also be served as aperitifs or dessert wines.
According to Bryan Chiu, manager of Yu at the Intercontinental Hong Kong hotel, roses are popular orders at his restaurant. A fine seafood restaurant celebrating its 10th anniversary, Yu has a wine list that includes Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Brut rose 1995 at $2,500 a bottle, Dom Ruinart rose 1988 at $1,800 a bottle and Moet & Chandon Vintage rose 1996 at $780 a bottle or $148 a glass.
According to Moet & Chandon chef de cave Georges Blanck, Moet's 1996 rose is characterised by aromas of sweet cherry, orange, peach and spices. Although the wine is ready to drink immediately it will continue to improve in the bottle. Chiu also recommends the Taittinger for its 'distinctive silky and flowery touch' and the Dom Ruinart for its 'elegant yet vinous character'.
Watson's Wine Cellar outlets have the largest selection of roses in town. I visited the branch in Great at Pacific Place and found Billecart Salmon Brut rose non vintage ($588), which the sainted wine writer Robert Parker has awarded 93 points on his bizarre scale of 100, and the Moet vintage rose 1996 ($545) and Deutz vintage rose 1996 ($490). Moet non vintage rose is a reasonable $399, while the perfectly respectable Masse non vintage rose is $298 a bottle. You have to push the boat out a little further for Dom Perignon. A bottle of 1992 rose will set you back $1,750, but it will be a bottle to get emotional about.
