Here in the Eastern US, we’re stifling under one of the hottest
summers on record. We’ve already passed our average number of
90-degree days for the year, and it isn’t even August yet!

No
wine can beat summer’s torpor better than a cold, crisp rosé. Each
year, I love going through the new crop of rosé wines from France,
Spain and Italy, especially, to see which ones will accompany me through
summer. This year, the 2009s held great promise, but I soon learned a
lesson as I tasted through several from southern France. Last year may
have been a wonderful vintage throughout France, but wines that benefit
from being crisp and acidic ran the risk of turning out flabby in the
riper-than-normal harvest.

There were still some very good ones, though. Here are a few of my favorites, as I shared recently in my Washington Post wine column. I’ll recommend some more in future posts.

Stay cool!