Rosé All Day!
Why are some rosés dark in color while others are so light, they are practically colorless?
Answer: WINEMAKING!
Usually, people prefer one style over the other!
The color of wine comes from the skins since most grapes, regardless of skin-color, have colorless flesh. That is why white wine can be made from black grapes. The best example of this is a Blanc de Noir Champagne which is a white sparkling wine made from black grape only.
I thought we were talking rosés today, Eveline … (sheesh!)
Ok, that was a tangent …
Whether making sparkling or still wines, there are 3 methods of making rosé:
1. Direct pressing results in the lightest colored rosés. This is on-trend right now. This means that the black grapes are pressed as soon as possible resulting in minimal color extraction from the skins. This is the traditional Provence style rosé – their palest of rosés are barely pink and sometimes go by the name vin gris (translates into grey wine – sounds nicer in French doesn’t it!)
2. Blending just enough red wine with white wine to get the desired color and flavor of rosé! Enough said!
3. Short maceration means the winemaker leaves the juice in contact with the skins for a few hours or a few days after crushing. This gives the darkest rosés. This method was traditionally used to make rosado (rosé in Spanish) from Spain or Tavel rosé within France’s Rhone Valley. Due to the popularity of the Provence style rosés, even these areas now make some direct pressing rosé to keep up with consumer demand.
Figure out which style you prefer so you know what to ask for!
Here is a short maceration rosé from Bordeaux, France. Bordeaux varietals of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc & Malbec. I liked the florality 🌺 on the nose and the red fruit flavors as well as just the right weight on the palette. The give away to it being short maceration winemaking … the darker color! This is a Cork Fine Wine exclusive and sadly no other provinces carry this producer.
