Rosé

Location: Worldwide

Origin: Ancient Greece, 6th Century BC

Top Growing Sites: France, USA, Italy, Spain, Portugal, New Zealand, Germany, Austria

Grapes: Numerous; Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Sangiovese, Carignan, Cinsault, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Franc, Malbec

Climate: Varies based on the grape variety and location the grapes are grown

Soil Type: Varies; Thrives in sandy soils

Wine Style: All styles, ranging from dry to off-dry, sweet and sparkling

Acidity: Medium, Medium-High, High

Glassware: Varies based on the style of Rosé; narrow glass with long stem

Serving Temperature: 50-60 ºF

Cellar: 3-5 Years Maximum

Vine Species: Vitis Vinifera

Flavor Profile: Red fruit, flowers, citrus, melon, rhubarb, strawberry, cherry, orange zest, lemon, celery, tropical fruits

Rosé Production Methods

  • Saignée:
The saignée, or “bleeding,” method produces not just a rosé but a red wine as well. In fact, the process started not as a way to make rosé wines, but to concentrate reds. In this process, a winemaker will vinify a red wine according to standard methods but will, early in the maceration process, remove or “bleed” some of the juice from the tank. This is then vinified separately as a rosé, and the rest of the juice is left to continue vinifying into a more concentrated red, since the juice-to-skins ratio is now higher. Saignée method rosés are likely to be richer in style.
  • Limited Skin Maceration:
By far the most popular method of making quality rosé, this process is essentially exactly what the name describes. Since color is held in a grape’s skins, the grapes are crushed and the juice is left in contact with the skins, just like a red wine would be made. However, the skins are left to soak only for a limited amount of time; depending on the desired style of rosé, this can last anywhere from six to 48 hours (as opposed to weeks or months for a red). The longer the maceration, the darker and more richly flavored the rosé. The juice is then racked, or drawn off of the skins, and the rose-tinted wine begins fermentation. This method can make many styles of rosé depending on grape variety and length of maceration.
 
  • Direct Press:
Very similar to limited skin maceration, direct pressing involves allowing the grape juice to have contact with the skins for an extremely short period of time. Instead of allowing the juice much time to soak and gain color, the grapes are pressed right away to remove the skins, as a white wine would be vinified. Because of the pigment in the skins, there will still be a hint of color in the juice —  it’s impossible for the juice to have no contact with the skins, after all — so this process tends to produce the lightest-colored rosés of all. Expect more citrus and hints of strawberry in these rosés, though the flavors can vary by grape variety.
 
  • Blending:
While this might seem like the most obvious method of making rosé – white + red = rosé, right? — the practice of blending white and red wines post-fermentation is actually prohibited for PDO wines in Europe — save for one. Because Champagne likes to do everything a little bit backward, blending is not only allowed but favored for the making of rosé Champagne. Some New World regions — which have less-strict vinification rules — use blending to make rosé as well. These wines can vary in style from light to heavy depending on the amount and type of red wine used in the blend.
 
 
Fun Facts:
  • Spain Exports More Rosé Than Any Region …. Though rosé is synonymous with France, Spain exports more of this delicious pink wine than any other country. As part of a national focus on increasing wine exports, Spain has grown its international share of the rosé production market from 28 to 40% since 2008. The success of Spanish rosé is due, in part, to its relative affordability when compared to most red wines or pinks exported from countries like France, the United States or Italy.

  •  Grape-Skin Contact Makes Rosé Pink …. Rosé develops its attractive, pink color due to the brief contact between a red grape and its skin during the fermentation process. Unlike red wines, whose grapes remain in contact with their skin for days or weeks at a time, pink wines maintain this contact for mere hours. This variation in length is directly responsible for the differences in color, flavor, aroma and personality between reds and rosé. It also accounts for rosé’s lower tannin and alcohol levels, which further accentuates the unique drinking experience of pink wine.

  •  Modern Rosé Originated in the 6th Century BC …. Contrary to what you might think, rosé is an ancient wine with a history stretching back many centuries. The Greeks created the original pink (light red) wines, but these first attempts were off-dry and tannic due to prolonged contact between grape and skin during fermentation. The Phocaeans, Greeks from the region of Phocaea, created modern rosé upon their arrival in Massalia (now Marseilles, France) in the 6th Century BC. Mixing knowledge from previous Greek winemakers with new growing and production techniques, the Phocaeans used imported grapevines to create bright, fresh rosé blends that were a hit across the Mediterranean. These ancient origins helped rosé develop into the delicious, beloved wine it is today.

  •  France Produces (and Consumes) More Rosé Than Any Region …. As an Old World wine mecca and the original home of rosé, France is the largest producer, importer and consumer of pink wine. Yearly, France produces 30% of the world’s rosé while also importing over 2 million hectoliters of pink wine from other countries for domestic consumption. In total, France accounts for 30% of rosé consumed globally. 
  • Rosé Has A Short Lifespan …. Unlike many red varietals and blends, which successfully age for years or decades, most rosé should be opened and enjoyed within two to three years of bottling. The shorter lifespan of rosé is due to the same qualities that make it unique: fruity, fresh flavors, bright acidity and low tannin levels. These qualities make for excellent, crisp wines, but not ones that will respond well to years in a cellar. Think of rosé as the summer of your wine collection -- it only lasts a short while, but it’s worth every bit of the experience.
  • About That Bottle Shape …. The prominent silhouette for a bottle of Provençal rosé is a bowling-pin shape. In the 1930s, Marcel Ott, founder of Domaines Ott, and his son René created it as their own signature bottle for easy recognition—similar to region-specific shapes such as those from Bordeaux or Burgundy—however, the trend didn’t catch on until much later. Today you’ll see many southern French rosés in bottles resembling bowling pins, but the original shape created by Domaines Ott is patented.