Rosé is a wine that is made with red grapes where the juice (which is clear) sees limited contact with the colored skins. Via this process, the winemaker can achieve a color ranging from palest pink to deepest salmon. The wine is then generally vinified in the manner of a white wine, with no oak contact and limited tannic extraction.
With a recent explosion in popularity, rosé has become theRosé is a wine that is made with red grapes where the juice (which is clear) sees limited contact with the colored skins. Via this process, the winemaker can achieve a color ranging from palest pink to deepest salmon. The wine is then generally vinified in the manner of a white wine, with no oak contact and limited tannic extraction.
With a recent explosion in popularity, rosé has become the go-to wine for summer and beyond. Demand for pink continues to grow, in no small part because rosé wine is one of the most diverse categories of wine that exists. Since rosé can be made from practically any red wine grape, and from any percentage of a blend of varieties (the notable exception being the red family of grapes known as teinturier, which have red flesh and produce red juice, as opposed to the clear juice of all other major grape varieties), it provides the winemaker with nearly a blank canvas as to the style of the finished wine. ...more ...less
Perhaps the most well-known type of rosé is that which originates from the region of Provence, France. Usually light pink in color, this wine is the bottle to have for hot summer days – particularly when drinking poolside or waterfront. Dry and refreshing, these wines generally show notes of strawberry, citrus, and wet stone.
Moving up the intensity ladder, rosé that sees more skin contact takes on more color, tendsPerhaps the most well-known type of rosé is that which originates from the region of Provence, France. Usually light pink in color, this wine is the bottle to have for hot summer days – particularly when drinking poolside or waterfront. Dry and refreshing, these wines generally show notes of strawberry, citrus, and wet stone.
Moving up the intensity ladder, rosé that sees more skin contact takes on more color, tends to be more aromatic, and has more body. Examples of this style of rosé can be seen worldwide, but California winemakers have really taken this baton and run with it, creating a whole category of rosé that is worlds away from Provence. Look for notes of riper fruit – tropical, melon, even candied fruit.
Dryness is something that definitely needs to be addressed when talking about rosé. Due to the popularity in the 1980s and ‘90s of White Zinfandel, it’s often taken for granted that pink wine equals sweet wine. While sweet examples can certainly be found, the majority of the best rosé that is being produced is actually dry. Though fruitier examples of course exist, it’s certainly past time for rosé to transcend its White Zin heritage and take its place at the table as a quaffable, food-friendly wine that deserves a closer look. ...more ...less
