Everything you need to know about rose wines
In the last decade, rose wines are the new best thing. They’re so easy to drink and very instagramable, but actually pretty hard to make. In this article you will discover the many hues of rose wine and why rose wines are undeniably awesome.
Where it all began?
Well, it all started in France. They’ve had a long tradition in producing rose. You could even say that the Bordeaux wines back in the days used to be more rose than dark red.
First of all, a rose wine is not the blend of white and red wine. (This is not permitted in the EU woth the exception of Rose Champagne, but some fruity, inexpensive New World Rose wines are made in this way).
Actually the rose wines are made by black grapes. The intensity of the rose color is given by the extraction of color and tannin from the skins of black grapes, which is achieved by including the skins in the fermentation vessel.
To make it even simpler, the winemaker keeps the juice in contact with the skins, according to how intense he wants the rose to become.
The methods of making rose wines
There are many methods involved with making rose and many different varieties of grapes. You can have a rose of Pinot Noir, Merlot, or Syrah and they all look and taste a little bit different.
In basic terms, the pink stuff can be made in one of three ways:
- Direct pressing
Black grapes are picked and get squeezed with the skins for a short period of time. The color comes from the skins of grapes so the less time the juice spends with the skin, the less red will become. At the right moment, when the wine reached its perfect color, the skin is immediately removed from the juice. The process of fermentation begins, just like a white wine.
- Short Maceration
Black grapes are crushed and allowed to macerate to extract flavor and color.
- Blending
The winemaker adds a small quantity of red wine in a big thank of white wine, so you’ll actually drink 90% white wine.
Either method you choose to discover, before you make your judgement call, taste the wines and don’t judge them by…. their color.
