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Rosé Exposé
Directions
Lovely to look at, delightful to know - Rosé is not merely a delectable wine, it’s also your most gorgeous summer accessory. Globally, sales are booming. France leads world production, followed by Spain and the USA – where it’s enjoying monumental growth of a whopping 40% per annum! But this charming and ever-so-popular pink drink is one of the world’s most misunderstood wines…
It’s a Style Thing
Neither a red nor a white, Rosé is a style - actually, a whole bunch of styles - which can be made from a range of varietals and show an array of flavour spectrums. Its colours run the gamut from pale and sophisticated onion skin (pelure d’oignon, for the wine nerds) to carnival candy-floss pink - and all points between. The difference rests not simply with the varietal but also with the vinification method used, and the choices the winemaker makes.
How it’s made
There are three methods for making Rosé: Maceration, Saignée, and Blending.
Let’s talk Blending first: it’s perfectly possible to make a Rosé by adding a splosh of red to a white wine, in fact it’s highly likely that you’ve done it yourself (though perhaps not deliberately) at a long-lasting dinner party. But it’s not a highly-regarded method – it’s even illegal in some parts of the world.
Saignée is when the winemaker chooses to siphon off a quantity of juice from a vat of fermenting red must. There are two good reasons for doing so: the must that remains creates a more intensely flavoured red (because of the higher skin-to-liquid ratio); while the juice that has been run off results in a quality Rosé.
Maceration (literally: softening) is the process of allowing grapes to rest in juice for a short period of time, as colour gently leaches from the skins. The winemaker controls the process by stopping skin contact as soon as the wine achieves the desired hue. Skin contact can last for anything from a couple of hours to a couple of days, depending on the variety (thin-skinned or thick) – and the style being made.
Varieties
Rosé (Rosata in Italy; Rosado in Portugal) is the most accommodating of styles, and embraces all comers, including Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignan, Tempranillo, Shiraz, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and a dozen more obscure varietals. There’s even a blush style popular in America made from Zinfandel - marketed as White Zin – but careful, it’s pretty fruity!
What does Rosé go with?
Sunshine. Conversation (dry wit, in particular). And food - Rosé is a great match for warm-climate cuisines like Mediterranean, Thai, Indian, and classic Aussie. Whether your taste runs to bone-dry, pale and sophisticated, or flamboyant, fresh and fruity… THERE’S A ROSÉ FOR THAT!