Rosé, the wine you should be drinking this summer and all year long!

June 22, 2016September 26, 2016

For many, many years, I stuck up my nose at pink wine. Rosé. The sweet stuff that so many of my girlfriends seemed to adore. I just didn’t like it and assumed that all pink wine was bad.

How very wrong I was.

If I’m going to be honest, my mind started changing when I fell in love with champagne. After tasting and learning, rosé champagne quickly became my favorite (more on that subject later) and since pink bubbles had found their way into my heart, I was ready to give pink still wine another go. I must have jumped on the bandwagon, because at that point it seemed everywhere I looked there was delicious rosé being served or sold.

Before I go on about why I love rosé and what I look for in a rosé, let’s talk about how rosé wine is made. There are three ways to produce rosé wine.

1) Maceration

The most common way rosé is produced is by allowing the red wine grape skins to sit (or macerate) in the juice. While red wines can macerate from days to weeks, a rosé will macerate for just hours.

2) Blending

A lot of people think rosé is white wine with a little red wine mixed in. It does happen, in fact it is very common for blending to be used in the production of rosé champagne, although it is much more rare in the case of still wine.

3) Saignée

Translating to “bled,” this method is accomplished by draining or bleeding wine in the first few hours from a vat of macerating red wine. This bled wine is then separated and used to make rosé while the rest of the wine continues to macerate and intensify. This is often seen in wineries that make fine red wine since the rosé makes a lovely wine on its own and helps intensify the concentration of their still red wine. These wines can be pretty hard to find, but always a treat.

Now that we know how it’s made, let’s talk about drinking!

The first style of rosé is arguably the most popular today, and that’s sweet (off-dry) rosé. A lot of this wine is made from Zinfandel grapes, and marketed as White Zinfandel. Not my cup of tea, but I imagine it would really work with super spicy foods. I’d suggest serving it ice cold.

For my tastes, a good rosé is dry. It’s low in alcohol, lighthearted in flavor and refreshing. I like happy strawberries and even a hint of flowers or vegetation is nice. But that’s just me. If you are like me, I’d highly recommend you look to the rosé wine of Provence. Many of these wines are made from the Mourvèdre grape. They seem to hit the balance of fruit and dried herbal notes. They are often very pale pink to salmon in color. There are even some remarkably subtle but complex wines to look out for. These can be served well chilled as well, just be mindful of their delicate nature. Serve these too cold and they won’t taste like much of anything.

Other fruity styles can be made from grapes like grenache, pinot noir, or sangiovese from tons of regions around the world. I still stick to the bone dry versions that are high acid. These are great for day drinking, by the pool, lounging on the porch, or with brunch or lunch.

If you like a little more heft to your rosé, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, and tempranillo are used to make bolder, more savory rosé wine. Many of these wines use the Saignee method and the colors and flavors start getting more intense. With the bigger flavors, I’d take these just a touch warmer than the fruity styles above, but still cooler than your standard glass of red wine.

If you want rosé wine that hovers near red wine territory, check out Tavel Rosé from the Côtes du Rhône. Made from primarily Grenache and Consult, several other grapes are allowed in the blend. Earthy and rich, these wines are usually higher in alcohol, lower in acid, and can stand up to the juiciest of steaks.

Because it is, in general, light and refreshing, rosé is often seen as a summer. It doesn’t have to be, It’s versatile enough to pair with loads of food and to top it all off, it’s affordable. Quality wines start at around $10 and lots of really fine bottles are under $20.

What I’m drinking…

My favorite rosé right now? Maison Saint Aix Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence Rosé. Strawberry, watermelon and flowers make up a lovely mix. Light and refreshing, yet it has some complexity going on to keep it interesting. Easily found for $15 or less a bottle, it’s quite fine indeed!