Uploaded to flickr by Noodle93.

Last Tuesday, after exploring several wines from the Roussillon, I headed to Rasika West End for a Côtes de Provence Rosé dinner.

Rasika West End is one of the hottest Indian restaurants in the country. And my dinner was smack dab in the middle of Diwali. So unsurprisingly, the restaurant was  packed.

Although the weather was cool — it was hovering in the low-40s — the chill didn’t make these wines any less food friendly.

The wines all exhibited pure fruit and mineral in a variety of different expressions. Every wine was also dry. Appellation law mandates that Côtes de Provence rosé contain no more than 3 g/l of residual sugar, which is about as dry as wines get.

The first wine — Château Léoube “Secret de Léoube” — was a great example of a wine with a rich, concentrated fruitiness on both nose and palate. Although it hit the palate with as much richness as a a lemony, neutral Pinot Grigio, that sensation was washed away at the finish, which displayed a cleansing, saline, oyster shell minerality.

“Wait a second,” you might ask. “All this dry, mineral-laden wine with Indian food? Did it really work?!”

Some of the food like the Reshmi Kebab, was spicy, of course. Other dishes were more aromatic, like the Tamarind Black Cod. While I still might be more inclined to reach for something from Alsace or Germany if I were having a meal of spicy dishes, the pairing worked perfectly thanks to the many aromatic dishes we enjoyed.

Two wines from Château d’Esclans, Les Clans 2010 & Garrus 2010, both saw some time in oak with regular battonage, the latter showing a near seamless integration.  Any rich seafood, or any dish featuring saffron, would be great with these.

The star of the show was certainly the Domaine de Rimauresq. One of Provence’s 18 Crus Classés, this wine teathered the bracing minerality with rich and tart fruits — like I imagine an 80-year-old seamstress would take care of the left leg of my Levi’s. Textbook. And, for five dollars less, the Petit Rimauresq is an amiable, little-brother sidekick.

Even though it’s getting cold outside, don’t breeze by the Rosé. Winter vegetables and 2012-summer-jarred tomatoes prove that this wine can survive yearround.