Don’t be afraid of rosé! They are fantastic wines that often pair with most foods and are perfect for trips to the beach, light lunches, or afternoon charcuterie as one is wont to have in Provence!
Rosé, whether sparkling or still, means one thing, that the wine comes from red grapes and has spent a minor amount of time “on the skins”, which is the key to a wine’s color. All juice from grapes is clear (what?), meaning that if you press a grape that is either yellow or red, the juice will be clear (except for extremely rare cases called Teinturier). Therefore you can get white wine from red grapes (also very rare), but you must have red grapes to make red wine. How wine gets its color is dependent on the time that juice spends soaking and fermenting with (or “on”) the skins. This process also imparts varying degrees of flavor and texture (to be discussed in other posts). A rosé wine spends considerably less time soaking on the skins and therefore is not considered a red wine.
Essentially rosé can be made from any red grape, but winemakers through the centuries have found that certain grapes make better rosé. In Cotê de Provence, where arguably the best rosé comes from (not arguably, they are the best) the predominant grape is Grenache (at least 60% by law), with Syrah, Cinsault, Mourvedre, and Carignan playing supporting roles. It’s important to note that Pinot Noir also makes exceptional rosé in other parts of the word (if you see one, try it!).
Rosé ranges in color from pale “onion” skin orange to a vivid near-purple, depending on the varietals used and winemaking techniques. My mom always chooses rose by color, “the paler the better” is her motto, and she is not often wrong. As mentioned before, the color of the wine comes from the time the juice spends in contact with the skin and the more contact with the skin brings more full, direct, and sometimes sharper flavors. Personally, I like a very pale pink rosé, usually delivering balanced acidity, light strawberry and raspberry notes, and a very refreshing drinkability, but test 'em out to see which type you like best. Cheers!
The best way to enjoy rosé