What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD)

Syncline describes their rosé as a "wine for warming up the grill, watching the sunset, or packing a picnic". Last night, we not only warmed up the grill, but cooked a delicious wild king salmon on it, which we enjoyed eating outside while a bright spring sun set slowly on the horizon.

This dinner was extraordinary for several reasons. It's been a rare occasion when the weather has been warm and sunny enough to enjoy eating dinner al fresco. And with wild king salmon at $30 a pound, it has to be a special occasion to feature this dish at our table. All of this combined to make for a wonderful dinner to celebrate with my sister, Kara, who arrived from London for a brief stay with us.

We grilled the fennel salt seasoned wild king salmon with fresh Washington state asparagus, completing the meal with white beans and an arugula salad tossed in a light vinegar and oil dressing. The Syncline 2007 Rosé (13.8%) offered a perfect complement to the warm evening and fresh salmon.

Comprised of 41% grenache, 25% cinsault, 21% mourvedre, and 13% counoise, this is a delightful wine crafted in style that reminds me of a simple French rosé. The blend provides a delicious array of fruit with crisp acidity to match just about any type of food. All of us enjoyed it with the meal and even afterward on its own.

This is a wine that I look forward to enjoying often this summer. You owe it to yourself to pop a bottle of the Syncline 2007 Rosé at your next cook out or picnic.

P.S. Please note that Syncline has yet to update their web site to reflect current tasting notes on the 2007 release. I don't know what has taken them so long, but the rosé on they feature appears to be from 2005, which makes that page two years behind.