Wine Gal and I headed into Cambridge last night for Harvest’s “Think Pink” rose wine tasting (supporting breast cancer awareness).  Harvest served up some lovely roses, many of which might be found, thought the sommelier, at Martignetti’s in Brighton.  But after many, many nights to remember at L’Espalier’s Wine Monday events, Wine Gal and I found ourselves longing for L’Espalier’s usual top-notch service, lovely ambience…and BREAD!

But for a $39 price, Harvest did a fine job with the food and wine.  Here’s the rundown and our thoughts:

First up was a tasty Himachi Crudo, which was paired with a Louis Bouillot “Perle d’Aurore Rose de Saignee” from Burgundy.  Wine Gal and I always enjoy a lovely rose sparkler and this one really hit the spot.  Harvest offers this by the bottle at $48, so I’d expect to see this in the stores for around $20-24.

We were then treated to first-of-the-season heirloom tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella, complemented by a Domaine de Piaugier rose of Cinsault from the Rhone Valley.  Pale, pale, pale pink and really lovely to drink.  Looks like this retails for about $40 a bottle, which strikes me as pricey for a rose.  Wine Gal recalled getting fantastic roses in France for about four Euros, which seems about right for what she termed “breakfast wine.”

Our main course was a Hudson Valley duck breast with yummy black “forbidden rice.”  Served alongside was my personal favorite of the evening, an almost magenta-colored rose of Grenache from Groundwork in Santa Barbara County.  Here’s what one online review had to say about this beauty: “A Grenache-based rosé that has floral nose, wth a hint of flint, lime zest and black cherry that carry from the nose to the palate. A big rosé, this is round on the palate that will stand up to your heartier summer dishes, while still being refreshing enough to be refreshing on a hot day.”  I wanted to link directly to this winery, but couldn’t find them online.  If anyone spots them, let me know so I can have my “Sideways” moment.

Dessert was a delicious cherry almond tart topped with anise-hysop ice cream.  And of course, served alongside was a lovely Marenco Pineto Branchetto d’Acqui from Piedmont.

So all in all, a great kick off to my summer of roses, even though we feel forever spoiled by Frank and Erich.  But let’s keep the rose tasting going: Wine Gal reports Brix Wine Shop on Broad Street is hosting their annual rose tasting this evening (7/7) from 5-7 p.m.  Brix will be pouring 10 roses – the season’s “hip sip!”  Get on down and enjoy!  Salute!