So if you know me you know I love my rosé wines in the summer, and it has been hot enough to cook on the concrete.  So I have been enjoying the lighter side of wine.  It was brought back to my attention this week that I can have both—rosé and Italian.  If you haven’t had a chance yet, you should run out now and get a bottle of Tantini Bardalino Chiaretto. 

This rosé is full of life!  I hope you have been to the Italian Winemakers’ Tour with ABC.  If you have, then you have already met the woman who produces this wonderful rosé, Giovanna Tantini.  I got to meet her on a VERY cold January night in Tallahassee this year.  We carry her Bardolino Rosso, Chiaretto, and Ettore (named after her son).   All three are amazing wines.  And we all know I love to back women in wine! 

Giovanna Tantini

But now back to the wine at hand…Chiaretto is a unique wine in that we don’t see many rosés from Italy—and if this wine is any indication of what it can be—we need more!  The salmon color is the first thing that catches your eye; it has that perfect color.  Once I open the wine, I get to smell the bouquet of light spice and rose petals.  I know I’m going to get something refreshing for dinner tonight.  Now here comes my favorite part, what to pair with this wine for dinner?  I always go backwards when it comes to pairing—at least it seems backwards to me.  I like to choose the wine, taste, then decide what to put with it, thinking of where it comes from and, of course, the weight. 

This wine is light enough to drink on its own or as an aperitif; the minerality does work well with food.  I do believe tonight, with this wonderful rosé, I’m going to keep it light—yellowtail, tuna and salmon sashimi with a ponzu drizzle.  What could be better for a steamy night in Florida?

Kathleen Anderson, northwest Florida Wine Supervisor.

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinekat.