"Rosé"
Real men don’t drink Rosé, but last month I was at a party at Barbara Sinatra’s house. (It was a benefit for a children’s hospital and I was doing the wine.) Dick Van Dyke, Gregory Peck’s widow, Jerry Vale, Vince Ferragamo, and cult owner/winemaker Jenne Bonaccorsi were among the 18 guests. Well, a discussion of Rosé began and, because we are in the middle of summer, I thought it an appropriate topic.
In America, it’s thought of as a wine for beginners and we have called it blush wine or White Zinfandel. These are Rosé wines by a different name. I suppose the producers believe we cannot see that White Zinfandel is pink. Duh.
Also in America and Australia, we drink our Rosé wines a little sweeter than our European counterparts. And in keeping with our own way of doing things, we may blend white wine and red wine together to get the desired color profile. To tell the truth, the New World Rosé wines are not really Rosé wines at all. Just because you call a pig a dog, it doesn’t make it a dog.
Recently the laws in France about Rosé have changed but, for most of us, we won’t be able to tell the difference. The traditional way of making Rosé (by the way, the word means “pink” in French) is to use red wine grapes. The grapes are crushed and the clear juice is left in contact with the stems for only a few hours (6-24). Then these grapes are discarded and not used to make any more wine.
This Rosé made in the traditional way can be a great wine. Most of the great traditional Rosé wines come from Provence. As I mentioned, the laws have changed and now Europeans can make Rosé like we do here by blending wines and not allowing them to ferment dry (that lowers residual sugar which makes them sweet). The method is less expensive and opens the gateway to cheaper, lower quality wines.
The Europeans have also approved the use of a method called “saignée.” This allows the winemaker to blend off a little pink wine from what will eventually become a red. He or she does this early in the process of winemaking which saves time and money as opposed to the way Rosé is made traditionally.
By the way, this bleeding off of some of the juice early also intensifies the impact of the skins on the remaining juice, giving the winemakers more tannin and more color. Some winemakers make Rosé only to get this effect on their more expensive red wine.
What grapes are used to make Rosé? Just about any red grape can be used for Rosé. Austria produces a very famous Rosé called Schilches. It is made with a grape called “blauer wild bacher.” These Rosé wines are high in acid. I am an acid freak so I love this Rosé. There is no better match for cold-smoked meat than Schilches. Another famous Rosé wine comes from Anjou. This wine is mildly sweet and made from a local red grape called red grolleau. Other grapes are used including Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Gamay. Anjou also has a dry Rosé (my preference). This wine is Rosé de Loire. This has lighter fruit flavors and mild acidity. This wine is made from the same grapes as above, but excludes Malbec and is replaced by Pinot Noir. My favorite Rosé wines are from Provence, France. These are big Rosé wines, if that is possible, and are great with seafood. Look for some from Bandol or Côtes de Provence.
Here are some ideas on when to serve it. It should be served cold like a white wine. J. M. says it works with chicken if your guests don’t know anything about wine. Also, it’s great by the pool. Great as a beginning wine on a summer night. It prepares your palate for more complex food and wine. Finally, it’s a good beginner wine for novices and young people.
I highly recommend you try a traditionally made dry Rosé. I think you’ll like it this summer. After all, take a chance – Columbus did.
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