If you're invited to a trendy summer party, chances are you'll find some lovely pink choices at the wine table. Don't assume your connoisseur host has suddenly developed a taste for "sweet White Zin in a box." Dry Rosé wines are officially back in vogue, and there is much to enjoy in these mouth-watering wines.

Rosé's Checkered Past
In Europe, dry Rosé wines are a must on hot summer days in the southern regions, where locals call for a refreshing dry wine that still bears some resemblance to its red counterpart. High quality Rosé is produced in France, Spain, Portugal and Germany and is served throughout the summer months.

In the US, dry Rosé were enjoyed well into the '70s. But in the '80s, wine marketers began to call inexpensive, sweet Rosé "white," introducing the hugely popular "White Zinfandel." Since the advent of White Zin, this misunderstood wine style has battled a dubious reputation at best, and left many wine drinkers wary of anything pink in the glass.

Pink is the New White
We are happy to report that the tide has officially turned. With the release of a number of excellent dry Rosé wines from US wineries, Rosé is the stylish summer choice in wine circles. The New York Times ran an article on Rosé titled "The Summer Drink to be Seen With," claiming that Rosé has replaced the cosmopolitan as the "chick drink" in NYC bars.

But don't worry, guys like it, too. Trend-setting wine writer and novelist Jay McInerney, waxes poetic about the wine style he discovered one hot day in the south of France. "Hot and thirsty as I was, I found it hard to imagine that anything had ever tasted so good as that Rosé. It hardly needed food, given the continuing suspense in the mouth of the sweet fruit dueling with the citrusy acidity."

Creating the Perfect Pink
To put it simply, Rosé is crushed like a red wine, then fermented like a white wine. Rosé can be made from a variety of red grapes - Merlot, Syrah, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, and are often blends of several varietals. Rosé provides all the typical fruit flavors that are found in the red version of a varietal, but with a really juicy, fresh expression.

Like a red wine, after the grapes are pressed, the juice is left in contact with the skins for a day or two, extracting flavor, structure and, above all, color. Then winemaking becomes more like a white wine. The juice drained off the skins and fermented in stainless steel tanks, capturing the fresh fruit character of the grapes.

Stylish & Satisfying
While Rosé styles vary dramatically, the best are bone-dry and elegant, fresh and crisp, and unusually juicy on the palate. Kendall-Jackson's Grand Reserve Rosé has a lovely, bright wild strawberry color and bursts with flavors of peach, watermelon and red cherry in the mouth.

Rosés are refreshing spring or summer aperitifs - always served well chilled. While many enjoy Rosé on its own, it's actually a great wine to pair with food on a hot summer day.