RAP Pink Out Rosé Tasting: May 21, San Francisco

rapavengers.sm.gif I think we've turned a corner. At least in the major metropolitan areas of America, it's no longer uncool to be seen sipping a glass of pink wine. This was not always the case. Six or eight years ago, such an action in some circles (not mine) was a clear admission that you knew nothing about wine. Or worse, that you had lousy taste in wine.

Then the newspapers and the magazines started in on rosé wines, and every summer there were suggestions from those in the know that perhaps drinking pink was no longer so uncool. Much to the amazement of the French, who have long known the pleasures of rosé.

It's taken a long time for that message to sink in here in America, but I believe we're now at the point where in polite, sophisticated company, holding a glass of wine that could be mistaken for White Zinfandel is no longer a social death sentence. Quite the contrary, it is now becoming an announcement of hipness.

While the folks at Rosé Avengers and Producers can't claim full credit for this turning point, they certainly have helped push pink wine into the spotlight as an exciting, food friendly, and indeed, legitimate kind of wine for many Americans.

Both in service of their quest, and in celebration of their love, RAP puts on an annual event they call Pink Out, which is a tasting event solely dedicated to rosé. Held at the Asian fusion restaurant, Butterfly, the event offers the chance to sample pink wines from California, France, and beyond while snacking on tasty bites sent out from the kitchen in time to a live DJ. It's a party.

It can get a bit crowded in the restaurant, so my advice is to go early if you can, but it's pretty hard not to get your money's worth, and it can be a fun time.

RAP Pink Out Rosé Tasting
Monday May 21, 2007
6:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Butterfly Restaurant
Pier 33, The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94101

Tickets are $35 each, and are available to purchase in advance online. Sometimes tickets are still available at the door, but I recommend purchasing them in advance.

My usual tips for public tastings apply. Wear dark clothes, sensible shoes, no perfume/cologne, and spit everything except the very best.

Posted by: Alder on May 18, 2007 7:11 PM: Filed under: Pink Wine , Wine Activities; Like this post? Share it! Digg it! - Add to del.icio.us - Add to Stumbleupon - Add to Reddit

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Comments (6)

bluescientist wrote:

05.19.07 at 9:10 AM

I love Rose, but I have to admit that if I'm drinking it out that I position the bottle so that passers buy won't mistake it for white zin! Why do Americans love white zin so much? I don't understand.

The Burgundian wrote:

05.19.07 at 3:38 PM

J.K. Carriere Glass Pinot Noir Rose Willamette Valley, Oregon

Best Domestic Rose!

It tastes of fresh fruit wrapped in all the toasty goodness of Champagne! It's mouthwatering to write about! I encourage you to seek out this Oregonian summer treat!

Jill wrote:

05.22.07 at 3:15 AM

Alder,

Did you taste anything fantastic at the RAP pink-out? Last year I had a great Williams Selyem rosé of Pinot Noir in Healdsburg but it isn't available commercially, or even through their mailing list (at least, I wasn't allocated any).

Just curious.

Jill

Arnaud H wrote:

05.22.07 at 4:20 PM

Thank you, Alder. As a Frenchman, I've never understood the snobbiness of some so-called American wine lovers who would turn up their noses when I would check out a bottle of rosé at the wine store. Of course Wine Spectator and other reviewers are partly to blame for this, since a rosé rarely ever makes it over 90 points in their silly scoring systems.
The same people seem shocked when they see worldly French wine lovers enjoy a perfectly nice Languedoc rosé with an egg salad in the summer.

JAZ wrote:

05.22.07 at 11:19 PM

Arnaud, I agree completely. The Wine Spectator cover story was a joke. There was only one still rosé in the entire issue with 90 points or above.

larry-s wrote:

05.24.07 at 11:40 AM

Glad to see that the Wine Spectator still has their collective head up their.... I saw the cover and my reaction was "Oh no! The general wine population is going to discover our little secret."