FOODS THAT BEG FOR ROSE BEG

Some spring faves can be tricky to match. The answer is rosé, a most versatile companion

- KRISTEN BIELER

Ah, rosé season. For many wine lovers, the arrival of the new vintage of pink wine heralds the return of spring.

One of rosé’s many charms is the crisp, perfumed refreshment it delivers on its own, making it a perfect apéritif. But many rosés also deserve a seat at the table, as these dry, vibrant wines are especially versatile with food. With the racy acidity of white wine and the fruit character and subtle bitterness of a red, rosé can complement an impressively wide range of flavors and dishes. In fact, rosé can be a pairing problem-solver: It’s one of the few wines that works with notoriously difficult-to-pair foods such as artichokes and asparagus.

Not all rosés are up to the challenge, of course. Seek out top producers from Spain, Italy and France to discover a stylistically diverse collection of gastronomic wines that are ideally suited to enhancing many classic springtime bites.

ARTICHOKES

Artichokes have gotten a bad rap for being difficult to pair with wine, but they are more flexible than most people realize. They do contain an ester called cynarin, which can amplify the impression of sweetness in anything consumed alongside them, so the key is choosing a wine that is bone-dry with high acidity and no oak. The answer? Rosé. Because artichokes have a meaty texture, and can develop a nutty richness when fried, roasted, braised or grilled, they can stand up to a more flavorful, spicier rosé.

ROSÉ MATCH