Thinking (and Drinking) Pink
by Erica MacKenzie
Gone are the days of your grandmother’s Sutter Home White Zinfandel, so make way for the new pink. It is no surprise that this is a new era for Rosé, with US consumption rising a whopping 50% in 2017 alone! So what’s all the hubbub? Here’s a quick overview of what rosé is, how it's made, and why we love it.
First off, why is it pink? Rosato in Italy, rosado in Spain, or the collective term rosé are all essentially red wines made like a white wine. Rosé varietals are often country dependent, so a rosado from Spain will often be predominantly Tempranillo or Garnacha, while Italian winemakers may use more Sangiovese or Montepulciano. Producers in the US tend to gravitate towards Cabernet, Merlot and Zinfandel for their rosés but have a lot of creative flexibility.
Many people believe that rosé is a blending of white and red wines; while this can occur, it is not the norm, and is mostly used for making Rosé Champagne. The two most common methods of rosé production are the results of limited skin contact through 1) direct pressing or 2) saignée (“bleeding off”). These methods start with harvesting, sorting and pressing the red grapes just as you would for a red wine. It is after the pressing, however, that the methods diverge.
The most popular method of making quality rosé is direct pressing with limited skin contact. During this process the skins are left to soak with the pressed juice for a limited time (perhaps 2 to 48 hours). In contrast, in red wine production that soak can be several weeks or even months. This step is called maceration. The style of rosé produced will vary according to the winemaker's decisions, including length of maceration and grape varieties used. Wines with less time on the skins will have paler colors such as salmon and rose-petal, while longer contact wines will be closer to cranberry or fuchsia. Often longer soaking time will lead to richer flavors as well. The juice is then drawn off of the skins, and fermentation begins.
Alternatively, winemakers employing direct pressing may choose to immediately draw the juice off the skins and ferment while bypassing maceration time, leaving only the color received during pressing, resulting in a very pale wine. This method is used most often by purists in the southern France regions of Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon.
The second method saignée, or “bleeding off” where both a rosé and a red wine are produced. Historically this process started as a way to make red wines more concentrated and resulted in a happy discovery. In this method the winemaker will produce a red wine according to standard methods but early in the maceration process remove or “bleed” some of the juice from the tank. This bled off juice (pink in color) will then be vinified separately as a rosé while the remaining juice left to continue into a more concentrated red. Saignée method rosés are often richer in style; a great example of this process is Chateau de Pibarnon Bandol, a winery which makes full use of the saignée method producing robust reds and fearless rosé.
A third method that is gaining in popularity requires the use of certain grape varieties with grey or pinkish skins, such as Pinot Gris. If allowed to remain in contact with the skins this grape can produce a pink or copper-colored wine with more similarities to a rosé or light red than your usual white wines made without maceration. They are aromatic, texturally interesting, and sometimes a little funky. I suggest you search one out and give it a try!
Increased consumption has led to so many options. While in the end all rosé is pink, depending on their region, grape variety, and production method they have different flavor profiles (an entire class could be dedicated to what goes best with what dish)! What I love best about rosé is just how food friendly it is. They seem to never detract and always lend themselves to being a perfect summertime sipper with any of your barbecue favorites. Worried over what to serve with pasta salad, shrimp cocktail, grilled meat or meat-free entrées for a backyard cookout? Look no further than a bottle of chilled rosé. You won’t be disappointed!