Rosé and NY Steak
When thinking of Valentine’s Day red and pink are two colors that spring to mind. They have been integrated into our thinking since our early years of making paper hearts trimmed with lace. So, when thinking of beverages for Valentine’s Day you won’t be surprised that red and pink also come to mind here.
Although wine is not the focus of this blog, there is certainly a time and place for it in the cocktail hour. When making my selection for today I wanted to do something a bit unexpected - that extra element is sometimes the thing that makes an occasion most memorable. While red wine would have fit the bill, Rosé sparked a bit more interest for me. It’s normally a wine I drink in the summer, chilled, crispy and refreshing. Its lighter color speaks of romance and I thought that drinking it at this time of year might bring back memories of warmer days and times.
I had first thought to pair it with something light and then I happened to read a post by Beau of Basic Juice which sent me down another path altogether. You can choose any Rosé that appeals to you, but one that’s a bit bolder would work best for this pairing. I took a look at my remaining Rosé stock and decided to go with the Barnard Griffin 2003 Rosé of Sangiovese. Since it’s made from Sangiovese I thought it would stand up well with the steak.
I chilled this wine but not quite as cool as I would have done for summer imbibing.
Nose: Strawberry! Fresh, clean but definitely early summer strawberry
Eyes: Deep pink/light red. Beautifully clear
Taste: As it smells - lots of strawberry, the first berries of June. Also seemed to have another berry taste - maybe a super ripe huckleberry. Not at all complicated. Slightly, lightly lingers and then is gone.
On its own it this was quite a lovely wine. Next, I tried it with slices of NY Steak that had been marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, pinot noir, garlic, Worcestershire and hot pepper. This wine was great with this steak! The clean taste of the Rosé cut through the richness of the steak. I would definitely pair these together again!
Finally, I put together a steak wrap which included grilled onions, guacamole, tomatoes and sour cream. The wine was still okay but was far better with the steak on its own. As a final challenge, I tried sipping this wine while nibbling on almonds covered with dark chocolate. Not bad; not great. What I found interesting though was that the wine echoed some of the almond taste. I think it would have been good with plain or toasted almonds; the chocolate was just a bit too much for this lighter wine.
So for your Happy Hour at Home this weekend, think pink. Pair a Rosé with some thinly sliced steak or maybe some little steak tidbits. Close your eyes while sipping the wine and you can almost imagine that the heat of the fire is actually the warm rays of the summer sun.
