By: Bob Wersen

As the weather warms up and you start thinking about dining outside on your patio or balcony, ideas about the kinds of meals to eat begin to change. Think about more Asian stir-fries; Mexican foods, like tacos and enchiladas; a spicy couscous with harissa sauce; or maybe some Indian or Indian-inspired dishes. These foods have big flavors that can overpower white wines and spices that are too big for dry red wines. A rosé can bring just enough body to complement these foods, and often a semi-sweet rosé can be an excellent complement to the bigger spices in couscous or Mexican foods.

Tassel Ridge Winery offers nine different rosés ranging from off-dry to very sweet.

Our 2013 Iowa St. Croix Rosé, a drier rosé, would be my choice with a lightly spiced Asian stir-fry, tacos, or even enchiladas.

American Pink Catawba, Steuben, Sweet Roxie Red®, and Oskyfizzante® Red, all medium-sweet wines, would pair nicely with very spicy dishes like an Indian vindaloo, a couscous with harissa sauce, or really spicy Mexican dishes. The sweetness in these wines complements the fire in the spices.

Our sweetest wines, Oskyfizzante® Pink, Oskyfizzante® Cranberry, Cranberry Wine, and Rockets Glare Rosé® will also pair nicely with the same dishes that pair with our medium-sweet wines. The preferred degree of sweetness in wine is entirely a matter of personal taste.

Easter is a few weeks away, and ham is a popular choice for Easter dinner. Our Cranberry Wine or Oskyfizzante® Cranberry is also a nice complement to ham.

All of these rosés will taste better and do a better job of complementing any food when served chilled.