While the heavyweights of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone and Piedmont often grab the headlines, another relative has hidden in obscurity…. until recently.  I’m referring to the Rose.  Now finally, this delicious and easy drinking summertime wine is receiving the recognition that it so richly deserves due to an improvement in quality, food friendliness and affordability; its popularity is reflected in a 50% domestic export increase in 2006 over the year prior.  Restaurants and wine retailers, which used to barely acknowledge rose wine, now dedicate space on their menus and shelves respectively.  What’s more, the early presence and late departure of Arizona summer heat lends itself to this refreshing treat.

Rose is a natural during the summer season whether it be with food or stand alone.  Its refreshing aromas of cherry, strawberry and watermelon, relatively low alcohol content (12.5-14%) and just the slightest hint of tannin in some wines, balance the easy drinking wine with perfection. 

The warmer southern region of France is renown for its Rose, Provence and the small region of Tavel in Southern Rhone producing the more notable wines.  The Provence region, situated by the Mediterranean, with its warm summer weather and minerally and acidic soils are a perfect recipe for these light wines.  Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre and Cinsault are grapes often used in the production of Rose, but nearly any grape variety can play a part.  You will find Roses from Spain to Australia and California, indigenous grapes playing a key role.  The Loire valley of France also produces a large quantity of Rose but be aware that the level of quality can be very variable from this region. 

The sudden interest in rose wines, while more recent in this country, is old news in Europe where it is a tradition to refresh the warm summer afternoon with a glass of rose.  Almost every country in Europe produces some rose using their favorite variety of red grape.  Why did it take so long for the wine to catch on in the U.S.?   Probably because the pale pink color of rose wine became identified with the sweetness of “blush” wines such as White Zinfandel inundating the market in the mid 1970’s through 1990.  It was a challenge to convince the serious wine consumer that rose was an “acceptable” daily wine.  That perception, while still prevalent in some circles, is rapidly eroding as consumers search for tasty, affordable daily wines to refresh the mid-summer palate.

Rose wines are produced by one of two methods.  The most common method is called maceration, a traditional process by which the red grapes are crushed and the resulting juice is allowed to remain in contact with the skins for a short period of time, hours to days at most.  This short window of contact allows the juice to acquire a pink hue from the phenols, tannins and pigments of the skins while avoiding the darker coloration and extraction of tannins that would attend a more prolonged skin-juice contact.  The juice is removed from the skins and allowed to ferment.  Not only is the process a bit tricky, but different grape varieties will require more or less contact with the juice to produce just the right color of rose.  Those grapes with less tannins and pigment, such as Pinot Noir, may require more prolonged exposure to the juice than a Syrah or Mouvedre in order to produce the same hue of rose.  If you don’t get it just right, you end up with a wine that is either very weak and overly pale or one that looks like a failed red.  A variation of the maceration process is called saignee.  This French term meaning “bled” describes a technique by which a Rose wine is produced through running off or passive “bleeding” off of the juices that result from  a short maceration of freshly crushed grapes.

The second method of producing rose harkens back to Chemistry 101.  The method blends red and white wine in just the right proportion until the “new” wine reveals the characteristic pink hue.  Recently, the EU decided to uphold the ban against Rose produced by this method after a vigorous protest by traditional Rose producers.

As alluded to above, many countries produce their own version of rose utilizing indigenous grapes.  The Provence region of France, the heart of the rose world, relies upon Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault and Mouvedre.  Loire country uses Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.  Italy resources Sangiovese for its rose (rosato) while Spain looks to Garnacha (Spain’s version of Grenache) and Tempranillo (Rosado).  While we traditionally think of Cabernet Sauvignon as a dark wine, it’s not unheard of to use the juices of the grape in a Rose.

While Rose wine is wonderfully refreshing as a stand alone, this piece would not be complete without some references to matching cuisines.  I once read that Rose has a split personality with one foot in the red world with the other in the white.  It almost reminds me of a light red but with the chilled character of a white.  Because these wines are light, fruity and off dry to bone dry, they pair with nearly anything!  If you know anything about me by now, you know that I first think about regionality in pairing.  As this wine has its home in the Mediterranean region (SE France), pairing Rose with nearly any grilled dish, poultry, beef, works beautifully.  Or how about a Mediterranean salad or a vegetable display?  Away from regional pairings think about our discussion of contrasts (see Wine and Food segment Archives).  For example, how about pairing spicy Mexican, Asian or Thai cuisine with a fruity, refreshing Rose?  Even a tasty hamburger or pizza will work here.  So give a shot at a Rose over the summer and give me some feedback.  Could this be one of your new favorite summer wines?  And look for quality Roses in Tucson the Wine Finder Rose section.

Tags: Cinsault, Grenache, maceration, Mouvedre, Provence, Rose, saignee, Syrah, Tavel