Rosé Wine

What makes roses unique to begin with is their distinct pink colour which comes from partial skin contact with the fermenting grape juice. Unlike red wine which has considerable skin contact and white wine that has none, Rosé wines are made by keeping the juice in limited contact with the grape skin.

The intensity of colour depends on the style the wine maker is going for so a salmon hue suggests a lighter style while a more intense orange peel colour means the wine could be a bit bigger. Rosé wines are made from a number of red wine grapes though it’s interesting how some countries have made different choices.

While Australia and South Africa make their roses quite a lot from Shiraz, America has chosen to use Zinfandel while winemakers in Southern France use a lot of Grenache. This is also where some of the world’s best as well as easy drinking rosé wines can be found, especially in Provence that has come to be known as the world’s rosé wine capital.

Tastes Like

As said earlier, the colour and taste of rosé wines is vastly determined by the contact of juice and skin before fermentation – a process known as maceration.

Most roses tend to drink on the lighter side, abounding with floral notes and fruity notes. There’s also generous acidity to ensure the wine is refreshing which is why rosé wines are popular as aperitifs.

Since many winemakers favour Syrah and Grenache to make their roses, red fruit flavours like plum and raspberry feature prominently with hints of spice though tannic expression is mostly negligible.

Raspberry

Plum

Key Varieties To Taste

Syrah is one of the most favoured varietals across France and the new world to make flavourful roses.

Grenache is an ideal candidate for producing roses given the grape’s ability to ripe early, so there’s plenty scope to make refreshing styles.

Zinfandel is a Croatian grape that makes generous and jammy wines and the White Zinfandel, a rosé style crafted by Californian winemakers is quite popular.

Around The World

France – Rhone Valley & Languedoc (Syrah, Grenache)

South Africa – Western Cape (Syrah, Caberner Sauvignon)

Chile – Central Valley (Cabernet Sauvignon)

Argentina – Mendoza Valley (Malbec)