A happy hour with a bowl of peanuts and a beer is classic, but we think people want more interesting options both at home and at their favorite watering hole. We are not alone in this thought.
The numbers are pretty clear: Americans are ready for Apéro (the French tradition of pre-dinner drinks and light snacks with friends). Reservations booked between 4 and 5 p.m. are up 13% year over year, which makes the apéro hour the fastest-growing hour in American hospitality. Sixty percent of Americans now say happy hour has become something other than a drink after work. Appetizer sales at major US restaurant chains rose 20% over the past year while entrée sales stayed flat. And as a signal that Apéro is not just for going out, specialty cheese sales grew 5.9% to $6.5 billion, so somebody out there is building a cheese board. And here is our favorite stat: 51% of French drinkers say they would rather have an early evening than a late night. In the US, that figure has grown to 34%. America is catching up to France. We are pleased.
While it may seem like Apéro is a new trend. It is not. It is a classic, time-honored way to transition from work mode to friends and family, self-care mode. Rosé has always been at home next to olives and cheese and whatever came out of the tin.
Why rosé?
Aperitivo, tapas, hors d’oeuvres, bar snacks whatever you call them- they are often salty, fatty, briny, and delicious. Those intense flavors could flatten some wines, but rosé? Well, she was made for this.
Her acidity cuts through fat and resets your palate between bites. That way, the fourth piece of cheese or charcuterie tastes as good as the first. Tannins are low in most rosés, making it perfect for pickles, vinegar, mustard, or anchovies, where a more tannic wine would compete: a scenario that diminishes both the food and wine. A well-made rosé is aromatic and textured in a way that can stand up to the herbs and citrus zest that characterize this style of eating without disappearing.
Six snacks and the rosés we would pour with them
Every one of these can be assembled by one person in a home kitchen, or put together quickly in even the most stripped-down bar kitchen or cramped bar.
Gönc Cuvée Anna Rosé Paired + roasted stone fruit with camembert, walnut, and thyme
Gönc Cuvée ANA Rosé + roasted stone fruit with camembert, walnut, and thyme
Take half of a fresh peach or apricot, top it with creamy Camembert, drizzle with high-quality olive oil, and pop it into a toaster oven or salamander. The roasting concentrates the apricot, softens it, and brings out the sweetness; the cheese melts into the apricot in the most delightfully gooey way. Top with a walnut half for nuttiness and a little crunch. Top it with a little sprig of thyme. Serve with crusty bread.
Why Cuvée Ana? This Slovenian rosé is lively, with notes of peach and melon balanced by a mineral snap and high-toned aromatics. The fruit notes enhance the roasted stone fruit, while the high-toned minerality cuts through the richness of the cheese.
La Perdrix Rosé + sun-dried tomato and almond pesto crostini
La Perdrix Rosé + sun-dried tomato and almond pesto crostini
Concentrated tomato is one of the most savory things you can put on bread, and the almond and oil give it weight. This combination needs a wine with enough acid to keep it from feeling heavy. Spread on a slice of toasted baguette and top with a slice of goat cheese and a sliver of oil-packed sun-dried tomato.
Why La Perdrix? The estate was once a favorite hunting ground for King Louis IV. Thus the name and the very beautiful partridge on the label. This blend of Grenache and Syrah offers just enough fruit and acidity to balance out the intensity of the sun-dried tomato and goat cheese as well as the richness of the nuts and oil in the pesto.
Cicada Song + Quick pissaladière: onion jam, oil-cured black olives, and anchovy
Cicada Song + Quick pissaladière: onion jam, oil-cured black olives, and anchovy
Provençal by birth, which makes the pairing almost automatic. Sweet onion, salty olive, and anchovy hitting at once is a lot of flavor in a small bite. Store-bought flatbread is fine. Nobody is grading you.
Why Cicada Song? The innovative use of Rolle (also known as Vermentino) for most of the blend gives this wine a savory complexity and snap that are a lovely complement to the sweetness of the onion jam and the unctuous saltiness of the olives and anchovies.
Latué Rosé. + blue cheese, quince paste (or a piece of fig!), and jamón on a skewer
Latué Rosé. + blue cheese, quince paste (or a piece of fig!), and jamón on a skewer
Salt, funk, and sweetness on one pick. Yes please! We like the creamiest of all blues, the Cambozola, but pick your favorite blue cheese. Do this as a classic Spanish-style pintxo, starting with a square of cheese, a square of quince paste, and a lovely little ruffle of jamon. Folks can down a skewer in one delicious bite.
Why Latue Rosé? Rosé of tempranillo… from La Mancha, no less. Trust us! This rosé’s fleshy red-fruit notes and perky, spicy finish enhance every element of this perfect little bite.
Elicio Rosé + salmon rillettes
Elicio Rosé + salmon rillettes
Combine your favorite tin of salmon with diced smoked salmon, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chopped chives, salt, and pepper. Serve with crusty bread and cornichons.
Why Elicio Rosé? Made from 80% Grenache rounded out with Syrah, the Elicio rosé is marked by notes of red fruit and citrus zest, which balance out the richness of this rillette. A great little shareable pre-dinner bite, or just dinner!
Grape Abduction Rosé + baked goat cheese with blackberries, olive oil, and honey
Grape Abduction Rosé + baked goat cheese with blackberries, olive oil, and honey
The chèvre goes soft and tangy in the oven, the blackberries collapse into it, and the honey and oil pull it together. Add a few torn herbs at the end.
Why Grape Abduction Rosé? This suggestion came straight from the mothership. Our alien friends think Žametna Črnina was made for baked goat cheese. We think those gorgeous notes of red berries make this pairing a no-brainer.
For wine bars and restaurants, this is a low-labor way to make the 4 to 6 p.m. window a destination. Most of these need no cooking, hold well, and cost very little to plate. Pick two, put a rosé by the glass next to each, and give your staff one sentence about why the pairing works.
If you are a retailer, this is a cross-merchandising conversation with your cheese and specialty counters or just a way to inspire your customers to enjoy these beautiful rosés all year long.
