The time has come to begin taking that pink juice in the wine bottle seriously.

For those who still find themselves shaking in their shoes at the thought of bringing to their lips a glass of pink wine, GET OVER IT!

Rosé wines are for all practical purposes, red wines that have had less skin and juice contact after crush.

The coloration in wine really comes from the skins. The longer that the juice stays in contact with the grape skins, the darker the wine will be.

There is nothing insipid about true rosé wines.

Many years ago when white zinfandel wine was first introduced into the marketplace it became the first wine to which non-wine drinkers gravitated. Why was this?

Because, it was really nothing like drier wines, which people were not used to and therefore their palates didn’t quite understand. White Zinfandel wines were, and still are, really soft, fruity, and quite simple.

When you try a rosé wine from the Provence region in France made from a blend of the Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah grapes (plus, maybe even a couple more in the blend), you are drinking a spicy and berry-laden wine. This is to say, a wine with lots of character and even complexity.

Italian rosato wines are another good bet when seeking out wonderful pink wines.

The thing to do is to open your minds and a bottle of a good pink wine and decide for yourselves…is it going to be a heavy red wine or a crisp and flavorful pink, in the heat and humidity of the summer? When you realize that these may be drunk with any meal at which you would drink a rich red wine, you just may find yourselves a new seasonal favorite.

Recommended wines:

- Mas de Gourgonnier, 2006, Les Baux, Provence, France
- Cantalupo, Il Mimo, 2006, Piedmont, italy
- Vin Gris de Cigare, 2006, California
- Chateau de Trinquevede, 2006, Tavel, France
- Muga, 2006, Rioja, Spain