Greg's Carrot Soup is kind of like Stone Soup– sure he starts with a bunch of carrots, but then a neighbor brings over some curry, a villager contributes coconut milk and another throws in half an onion. Fortunately, a traveling salesman just happens to have some spare cucumber-peanut relish. What wine would work with this combination of sweet-spicy flavors, heady aromas and textures that range from velvety to crunchy? Of course bubbly goes with (most) anything. However, let's get a bit more creative. Yes an aromatic white would be wonderful. Riesling and Chenin Blanc come to mind– but what about a rosé? Rosés aren't just for summer anymore. I just happened to have a bottle of the award-winning Lula Cellars Mendocino Rosato on hand and decided to test this theory.

Lula Cellars Mendocino Rosato

This very small production wine is made with the juice of five different clones of Pinot Noir, giving it its distinctive balance of fruit and spice. The spiciness we've come to expect from a good quality Pinot Noir complements and enhances the curry notes and the big bite of ginger in Greg's soup. The crisp strawberry/red berry flavors provide an unexpected counterpoint to sweet farmers market carrots. The brightness of the acidity cuts the richness of the coconut milk-touched stock. As does the cooling crunch of a dollop of relish made from cucumber, peanuts, cilantro and candied ginger.

If you aren't able to procure a bottle of this rare artisanal wine, I apologize. You could wait for the next vintage. Or, if patience isn't your thing you could substitute a nice dry sparkling
Rosé of Pinot Noir like a Cremant d'Alsace from France or the lovely 2011 Schramsberg Brut Rosé, just down the road from Lula Cellars in Northern California.