Rosé wines are perhaps the most versatile, food-friendly wines around.
The actual color varies depending on the grapes involved, and often may seem to be more orange than pink or purple. Rose wines may be produced in a number of different ways, depending on the desired results. Styles vary widely, but in general rosé wine is made from red grape varieties, however nowadays, many winemakers mix a certain amount of white grapes the red ones.
First of all rosé wines are not a blending of red and white wine (abstraction made of the exceptional case of Champagne Rosé).
Rosé wine is much simpler than a true white or red wine – even if made from the same grapes.
European rosé wines are generally dry, while rosé wines from the United States are generally sweet.
The elaboration of rosé wine is delicate. It is probably why the amateur is sometimes disappointed by the quality of a rosé. Particularity, European rosé is "dry". On the contrary, American rosé is sweet and similar to white wine.
In the world of rosé wines, we distinguish two families:
• DRY ROSÉ WINES, typical for Europe
• BLUSH ROSÉ WINES, typical for California
NOTE: All rosé wines are to be consumed well chilled and young.
poniedziałek, 20 września 2010
DRY ROSÉ WINES
Maybe one on the main reasons why dry rosé wines became so popular, is their large number of colors, smells, texture, intensity and density.
To name the few:
• Pale salmon color, mineral aromas, fragile acidity in Côte de Provence, for bleded wines made from cabernet-sauvignon, cinsault and grenache.
• Deeper salmon color, strawberries and riped melon aromas, fragile acidity and appropriate weight for cabernet franc wines coming from Saumur region in Loire valley
• Light ruby color, including some CO2, dry grape aromas and well refreshing structure for Italian Barchetto d’Acqui
• Pink-orange color, spice & herbs aromas, refreshing acidity with sweet accents for Rioja wines made from granacha and tempranillo
• Pink color, highly concentrated aromas, sweet accents in few dry Californian roses made from pinot.
There are at least three methods of making dry rosé wine:
1. Gray or pale rosé wine
The grapes are pressed as soon as they arrive in the cellar. It allows a quicker diffusion of the color in the must.
The juice is left a very short time in contact with the skin. No more than a few hours! That way the must is delicately colored.
Rosé wine is then made in the same way as white wine, fermentation of the must cleared of solid elements without any more maceration. The winemaker obtains a gray or pale rosé wine (for Gris de Bourgogne or Rosé de Loire).
2. Colored pink wine
To obtain a colored pink wine the grapes are put in the fermentation tank after having been crushed. The juice quickly enriches itself in alcohol with the temperature going up (in the tank).
At the contact of the solid element the color quickly diffuses. The winemaker chooses the intensity of the color by controlling a sample every hour. When he is satisfied he devattes.
The wine is evacuated in another tank to finish fermenting. The must left in the original tank is evacuated and not used for rosé any more.
3. The bleeding
To obtain an even more intense color, once an hour, during the initial fermentation the winemaker takes out of the tank a certain amount of juice.
When the color is satisfying, the wine making process goes on as for a white wine. Rosé de Provence are obtained by that method.
Grape varietes usually used to make dry rosé wines: cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, syrah, pinot noir, merlot, grenache, gamay, sangiovese, nebbiolo, montepulciano, tempranillo and many more endemic (local) varieties.
Quite often they are produced as blend of there varieties: grenache, cinsault and mourvédre.
Dry rosé wines are in principle produced in Europe.
1. France: Provence, Loire valley, southern part of Rhone valley (Lirac, Tavel), Burgundy (Marsannay)
2. Italy: Abruzzo (Cerasuolo), Bardolino (Chiaretto), Salento next to Puglia
3. Spain: Navarra, Rioja, Catalonia
4. Portugal: various regions all over the country
Quality of rosé dry wine is not determined by its color.
Most important elements to judge their quality, are:
• Balance between acidity and sweetness
• Aromas concentration
To name the few:
• Pale salmon color, mineral aromas, fragile acidity in Côte de Provence, for bleded wines made from cabernet-sauvignon, cinsault and grenache.
• Deeper salmon color, strawberries and riped melon aromas, fragile acidity and appropriate weight for cabernet franc wines coming from Saumur region in Loire valley
• Light ruby color, including some CO2, dry grape aromas and well refreshing structure for Italian Barchetto d’Acqui
• Pink-orange color, spice & herbs aromas, refreshing acidity with sweet accents for Rioja wines made from granacha and tempranillo
• Pink color, highly concentrated aromas, sweet accents in few dry Californian roses made from pinot.
There are at least three methods of making dry rosé wine:
1. Gray or pale rosé wine
The grapes are pressed as soon as they arrive in the cellar. It allows a quicker diffusion of the color in the must.
The juice is left a very short time in contact with the skin. No more than a few hours! That way the must is delicately colored.
Rosé wine is then made in the same way as white wine, fermentation of the must cleared of solid elements without any more maceration. The winemaker obtains a gray or pale rosé wine (for Gris de Bourgogne or Rosé de Loire).
2. Colored pink wine
To obtain a colored pink wine the grapes are put in the fermentation tank after having been crushed. The juice quickly enriches itself in alcohol with the temperature going up (in the tank).
At the contact of the solid element the color quickly diffuses. The winemaker chooses the intensity of the color by controlling a sample every hour. When he is satisfied he devattes.
The wine is evacuated in another tank to finish fermenting. The must left in the original tank is evacuated and not used for rosé any more.
3. The bleeding
To obtain an even more intense color, once an hour, during the initial fermentation the winemaker takes out of the tank a certain amount of juice.
When the color is satisfying, the wine making process goes on as for a white wine. Rosé de Provence are obtained by that method.
Grape varietes usually used to make dry rosé wines: cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, syrah, pinot noir, merlot, grenache, gamay, sangiovese, nebbiolo, montepulciano, tempranillo and many more endemic (local) varieties.
Quite often they are produced as blend of there varieties: grenache, cinsault and mourvédre.
Dry rosé wines are in principle produced in Europe.
1. France: Provence, Loire valley, southern part of Rhone valley (Lirac, Tavel), Burgundy (Marsannay)
2. Italy: Abruzzo (Cerasuolo), Bardolino (Chiaretto), Salento next to Puglia
3. Spain: Navarra, Rioja, Catalonia
4. Portugal: various regions all over the country
Quality of rosé dry wine is not determined by its color.
Most important elements to judge their quality, are:
• Balance between acidity and sweetness
• Aromas concentration
BLUSH ROSÉ WINES
The homeland of blush rosé wines is California. Practically all of these wines come from there.
They are delicate, aromatic and off dry – from semi-dry to semi sweet.
The expression “blush” was born at the time when a new wine was born in Napa Valley: the White Zinfandel. At that time rosé wines, especially in US were regarded as wines of poor quality and though less popular than traditional heavy weight reds and whites. Zinfandel winemakers did not want, from marketing point of view, to apply the name of “rosé”, and instead they named the new wine after its grape variety (zinfandel). In order to avoid by all means the name of “rose”, the expression of “blush” wines was introduced.
Blush wines always contain more or less of sweetness, typically to the New World’s these wines provide intensive aromas and low level of acidity. However, contrary to other warm climate wines, they offer relatively low alcohol content (9,5-11,5 %).
The scale of production allows to keep the price at the very low level (see: Andre by Gallo). Rather than being made by blending red and white wine, or by crushing grapes before the color has time to leech into the wine, White Zinfandel is the result of a practice in the production of Zinfandel known as bleeding. When bleeding a red Zinfandel, winemakers often take away an ample quantity of liquid so that the resulting wine is stronger and more concentrated – this lighter, less tannic remainder is then packaged and sold as a wine in its own right: White Zinfandel.
They are delicate, aromatic and off dry – from semi-dry to semi sweet.
The expression “blush” was born at the time when a new wine was born in Napa Valley: the White Zinfandel. At that time rosé wines, especially in US were regarded as wines of poor quality and though less popular than traditional heavy weight reds and whites. Zinfandel winemakers did not want, from marketing point of view, to apply the name of “rosé”, and instead they named the new wine after its grape variety (zinfandel). In order to avoid by all means the name of “rose”, the expression of “blush” wines was introduced.
Blush wines always contain more or less of sweetness, typically to the New World’s these wines provide intensive aromas and low level of acidity. However, contrary to other warm climate wines, they offer relatively low alcohol content (9,5-11,5 %).
The scale of production allows to keep the price at the very low level (see: Andre by Gallo). Rather than being made by blending red and white wine, or by crushing grapes before the color has time to leech into the wine, White Zinfandel is the result of a practice in the production of Zinfandel known as bleeding. When bleeding a red Zinfandel, winemakers often take away an ample quantity of liquid so that the resulting wine is stronger and more concentrated – this lighter, less tannic remainder is then packaged and sold as a wine in its own right: White Zinfandel.
FOOD PAIRING
DRY ROSÉS
Typical situation in a restaurant: she orders fish, while he orders roastbeef.
Recommended wine solution to satisfy everybody ?
Dry rose !
In general dry rose wines, will be paired most perfectly with all dishes you would enjoy at the time of very warm and sunny day (light salads, simple grilled meat or fish, sandwiches, cold soups etc.).
Recommend food pairings for dry rosés:
• Tomatoes with basil & mozzarella
• Omelette with bacon
• Tortilla
• Quiche
• Turkey casserole
• Pork steak
• Grilled veal
• Tuna
BLUSH ROSÉS
These wines, being extremely delicate and off dry, are recommended for any kind of picnics and garden parties. They may be paired with any kind of food - starting from vegetable salads and ending by lasagna. Sweetness of blush roses balances effectively any salty and spicy products like peanuts, pop corn, taco chips or paprika covered cheese chips.
Recommended food pairings for blush rosés:
• Cold cuts
• Cobb salad
• Chicken or tuna salads
• Potato salad
• Turkey fillet
• Hamburger with ketchup & chips
• Spicy chicken wings
• Sweet & sour chicken
• Ham with pineapple
_______________________________________
Copyright © by Adam Stankiewicz, VINTRIPS , 2010
Typical situation in a restaurant: she orders fish, while he orders roastbeef.
Recommended wine solution to satisfy everybody ?
Dry rose !
In general dry rose wines, will be paired most perfectly with all dishes you would enjoy at the time of very warm and sunny day (light salads, simple grilled meat or fish, sandwiches, cold soups etc.).
Recommend food pairings for dry rosés:
• Tomatoes with basil & mozzarella
• Omelette with bacon
• Tortilla
• Quiche
• Turkey casserole
• Pork steak
• Grilled veal
• Tuna
BLUSH ROSÉS
These wines, being extremely delicate and off dry, are recommended for any kind of picnics and garden parties. They may be paired with any kind of food - starting from vegetable salads and ending by lasagna. Sweetness of blush roses balances effectively any salty and spicy products like peanuts, pop corn, taco chips or paprika covered cheese chips.
Recommended food pairings for blush rosés:
• Cold cuts
• Cobb salad
• Chicken or tuna salads
• Potato salad
• Turkey fillet
• Hamburger with ketchup & chips
• Spicy chicken wings
• Sweet & sour chicken
• Ham with pineapple
_______________________________________
Copyright © by Adam Stankiewicz, VINTRIPS , 2010
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