Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/960891
64 / the tasting panel / april 2018 e Regionality of Ré Victoria James, Beverage Director of Gracious Hospitality Management in New York City, told The Tasting Panel she gravitates toward rosés "that, like great reds and whites, speak to a region and history." The Drink Pink: A Celebration of Rosé author also harbors an appreciation for both Old World "classic wines from classic producers" and New World rosé from cooler-climate regions like California's Santa Ynez, New York's Finger Lakes, and Victoria, Australia. Some of her top picks are Château de Trinquevedel Tavel Rosé, Domaine Comte Abbatucci, Terrassen Rosé, and Railsback Frères Les Rascasses Rosé, all of which are currently being poured at Gracious Hospitality Management's Cote Korean Steakhouse in Manhattan's Flatiron district. When creating an enviable selection of rosé at Bacchanal Wines in New Orleans, Wine Director Joe Briand also aims to highlight regional variety. Briand says the store currently offers 25 rosé wines—a lineup that will only increase as the weather gets warmer. "Rosé is a huge part of the wine program at Bacchanal," he explains, adding that Founder Chris Rudge, who died in 2015, was a vocal proponent of the category long before its recent renaissance. Bacchanal always has a selection of wines from Bandol and Côtes de Provence, the latter of which Briand describes as "some of the best values in rosé." He reveals that Sancerre and Txakolina wines are huge sellers at the shop, but Briand is currently most excited about Austrian rosé. "The wines are delicious and refreshing—what people expect from rosé—and it's much easier to get someone to try [popular Austrian grapes] Blaufränkisch and Zweigelt when they're pink," he explains. REPORT Ré Victoria James is the Beverage Director of Gracious Hospitality Management in New York City and the author of Drink Pink: A Celebration of Rosé. PHOTO COURTESY OF VICTORIA JAMES