What is Rosé Wine?
Rosé is a pink wine made from black grapes.
Grape-Growing
Black grapes hang on the vine until they are ripe. They require a great deal of sun to ripen both the pulp and skins, accumulate sugar, and develop concentrated fruit flavors.
Grape-Growing
Once the grapes are ready to be harvested, they are picked by hand or machine and immediately chilled in the winery to keep them fresh. At this stage, it is important that the grapes aren’t exposed to too much oxygen so they don’t spoil and develop unwanted bacteria.
Different Ways to Make Wine Pink
1. Direct Press (Light Pink)
Black grapes are delicately pressed to only extract the juice with very little color from the skins. These rosés are lighter in color.
2. Short Maceration (Dark Pink)
The juice from black grapes mixes with its skins for a few hours to give it more color, flavor and texture. These rosés are darker in color.
3. White & Red Wine Mixed
Red wine is mixed with white wine to make it pink.
4. "Saignée"
Saignée is a method where a portion of red wine is removed or “bled” from black grapes to create concentrated pink wine.
Rosé Aging Options
When fermentation completes, the winemaker must decide what to to do next. The wine may be:
1. Bottled for immediate consumption
2. Aged in oak to develop additional flavors and texture
3. Stored in a vat and bottled at a later date
Rosé Wine Flavors
The flavors can range from fresh and delicate (lighter pink), or bolder with more red fruit (darker pink).
Cheers!
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