It’s time for rosé wine. Not white, not red. Beautiful to look at on the table, the glass still misted with cold. Seductive in its color—whether it’s a Provençal style or a Cerasuolo… but perhaps it’s time to start thinking of rosé not only as a “summer wine” or simply an aperitif wine.
Food & Rosé Selection could be the right opportunity to give rosé wines the recognition and positioning they deserve. Not so much in terms of quality—because that is already there—but, in my view, from a marketing perspective.
Food & Rosé Selection is an event organized by the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. The first edition was presented yesterday in Rome and will take place in L’Aquila from June 4 to 6.
The competition aims to identify and reward the best pairings between food and rosé wines. A total of 120 labels will be featured, coming from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia. Forty-five international expert tasters will take part, alongside the Michelin-starred restaurant La Magione Papale in L’Aquila, which will curate the gastronomic side by presenting the culinary excellence of Abruzzo.
The versatility of rosé wines has led the organizers to introduce eight trophies, corresponding to eight different food categories: aperitif, raw fish, cooked fish, cured meats, cooked meats, spicy foods, cheeses, and desserts. What better opportunity to put the rosés in competition to the test?
During the press conference, Baudouin Havaux, president of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and of Food & Rosé Selection by CMB, explained the reasons behind the decision to launch this new competition, driven by the growing global trend in rosé consumption. Emanuele Imprudente, Vice President of the Abruzzo Region with responsibility for agriculture, expressed his satisfaction at having such a strategic opportunity to promote the excellence of his region.
The event will also include four interesting discussion panels focused on trends, production, and marketing in the rosé wine sector. Personally, I believe that rosé wines in Italy still need that extra step that will help—especially the broader public—to better understand and appreciate them.
Food & Rosé Selection by CMB might be exactly the right opportunity
