I stared at the pretty pink Pietra Santa Rosato in my glass for a while and wondered exactly what it needed to be happy, truly happy. Cheese? Too heavy. Nuts? No. Strawberries? They matched very nicely, but flavorwise they too were a miss. Banana? Way too sweet.

Determined, I strayed into the stone-fruit category, trying apricots, plums and nectarine. Not bad, but not perfect. Then I opened the freezer and pulled out a vat of pink papaya puree. I threw it in the blender and tasted it alongside the wine. Perfect.

As the two melted together in my mouth, I realized why it worked. The stout, acidic rosato needed just a tiny bit of softening around the edges. Instead of mirroring the strawberry-citrus flavors in the wine, the creamy, not-too-sweet papaya filled in the gaps. Papaya puree is available from www.perfectpuree.com. The 2007 Pietra Santa Rosato from Monterey is $15. For details go to www.pietrasantawinery.com.