"RoseWine" news and stories

• Paula Deen's influence goes beyond cooking -- the Horseshoe Casino is renovating its buffet in her honor.
• Want a summery drink? Think pink -- or rather, rosé.
• Southerners take their fried chicken seriously. It can't just be good -- it needs to be honest.
• The Kentucky Derby is behind us this year, but who says you can't still have a mint julep?

The Riveter. Photo: LeNell Smothers.

Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and has been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.

I drink rosé year round. Get over the idea that it's a flimsy soda-pop wine meant for picnics. When in doubt for food pairing, I often go with the pink. Rosé can be so versatile, even as an ingredient in a cocktail.

You can still find Bordeaux bottles every now and then, labeled claret, that are dark, dry, "serious" rosés. For my cocktail feature this week, I strongly suggest picking up a bottle. If not Bordeaux, look for a rosé made with Bordeaux grapes like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc or a malbec that's so dark, it's almost a light red.

Rosé ain't for wimps. Neither is this cocktail named after Rosie, the American icon who represented the many women who went to work in factories to help us make it through World War II. Toast all the beautiful and strong women in your life who make this world a better place!

Get the recipe for Rosé the Riveter after the jump. ...

 • Pair some delicious rosé wines with a few simple recipes for swordfish, eggplant bruschetta, and stuffed veggies and summer gets much tastier
• Mozzarella night at Jar and other special nights at LA restaurants
• Another excellent restaurant in a local strip mall, a review of Kikuchi
• Guadalajara in Boyle Heights at Birreria Jalisco
• Everybody loves scones
• Regina Schrambling reviews Cook's Country and finds it seriously lacking
• Does a manual press make better OJ than an electric juicer
• Taking on the Utopia and other non-traditional beers

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Alas, I'm not in Provence this summer but at least I can drink the wine. The Saint Roch is a rosé table wine from the region. It has a beautiful peachy rosé color and a very refreshing quality but there's something curiously flat about it. It had no real discernable nose and more of a lightly acid quality than anything distinctly fruit-based. It's a dry wine without a hint of the cloying sweetness that can sometimes cripple a good rosé. In contrast to last week's California rosé this one has far less of a rounded flavor and yet I think I like it better, it's almost citrusy in quality. Chill it super cold and it's as satisfying as an icy Corona on a warm afternoon. I found it at Gelson's but haven't been able to locate a web source yet.

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