Rosé wines were all the rage in 1970’s. People bought the most famous (Mateus) by the case and restaurateurs could not keep enough in their cellars.
A decade later, consumers turned to dry white wines, and now for many wine means red.
Although rose wines are less fashionable today than only three decades ago, they have their honourable place in the wine world!
They can be best described as ed wines with a white heart. They are refreshing, appealing, light and inviting. Many wine producing countries market rose wines, which may be blended or vinted from one single variety. Some brands are more successful than others, pending on their aroma, flavour, and texture profile.
France, Spain, U S A (particularly California), Portugal, Italy are the most famous rose producers. Surprisingly, Australians, South Africans, and New Zealanders don’t export much of their rose wines, probably because of the long voyage and the time it takes to get the shipment to retailers. These days with modern transportation and distribution systems this delay should be a relatively easy problem to solve, but costs a little more than the slower process.
Rose wines are delicate and ideally should be enjoyed within a year of bottling.
Some wineries blend white and red wines to create their rose wines. These are at best enjoyable but never offer the pleasure and depth of rosés made from red grapes after a short maceration.
In France, Tavel, in southern Cotes du Rhone, Provence and Loire are famous for their roses, although Bordeaux also produces some.
Tavel from the eponymous town is the best known of all in France and fetches priced than any other, but Provence’s rose wines should not be overlooked for they are excellent with practically any food, particularly when enjoying an impromptu meal in sidewalk cafes of Nice and other cities along the eastern Mediterranean coast of France.
Spain, a major producer and exporter, has been making this genre for centuries. Navarra, Penedes, and Rioja are the best-known regions followed byt eh Balearic Islands, La Mancha, and Extremadura.
In Spain tempranillo, monastrell a.k.a mourvedre, bobal and garnacha are the preferred varieties. Winemakers destem bunches, press the fruit, and ferment the must long enough for the wine to acquire the desired colour, a rd tinge, which is achieved in most cases in 24 hours. Then the temperature is lowered, and the must is transferred to another tank to preserve delightful primary aromas, which are derives from the fruit and its level of ripeness.
Vin gris (literally grey wine or onion skin coloured wine) comes from red grapes bunches pressed hole and processed after that as for white wine to end up with a very light wine.
Vina Tondonia in Rioja produces outstanding rose wines using garnacha, mazuelo, tempranillo grapes. They are delicate, deeply flavoured, pale rose in colour and delicious enjoyed on their own, or with local specialties including roast leg of lamb.
California’s Sutter Home winery invented the slightly sweet white Zinfandel, which is very popular throughout the U S A. The invention was in response to the decline of red wine sales, but bountiful supply of zinfandel. The company decided to create an off-dry wine resembling rose, but call it White Zinfandel.; it took off from the first day the wine hit the shelves. White Zinfandel remains popular and has converted millions of consumers to wine enthusiasts, as many turn to white and eventually red wines in search of more depth in wine.
Rose wines go well with pork dishes, cold cuts, roast chicken, turkey, cream cheeses, sandwiches of all types, pizzas, pastas and can be delightful thirst quenchers on hot lazy days relaxing on the patio.
Every year around May and June retailers offer a variety of roses from different regions.
The secret of enjoying these wines is their youth and hot weather.
Here are some brands you may want to try:
Monastrell Rose, 2008, Vina Honda, Jumilla, Spain – from Jumilla on Spain’s Mediterranean coast this superbly fruited wine will go well with paella, cold cuts and even Jabugo ham.
$ 14.95
Pink Slip Pinot Noir Rose, 2008, Megalomaniac Wines, Niagara, Ontario, Canada – lively rose vitned from 100 per cent pinot noir grapes with excellent strawberry aromas and medium long finish.
$ 14.95
Sketches of Niagara Rose, 2008, Tawse Winery, Niagara, Ontario
Strawberry aromas emanate from the glass. Earthy notes give this pale-pink coloured wine a special flavour.
$ 12.50
Chateau La Croix De Queynac Rose, 2008, Bordeaux – Bordeaux is better known for its red and sweet wines, less so for fine white and roses. This rose exclusively vented using cabernet sauvignon displays deep strawberry aromas, full body and layers of fruit in mouth.
$ 13.95
Tavel Rose 2008, Chateau D’Aquiera , Tavel, Cotes du Rhone – Tavel is one the most famous rose appellations of France. This grenache based rose is fruity, beautifully extracted with a fine texture. Enjoy on its own or with your favourite pizza, meat sauced pasta, meat sandwiches, and even an artfully roasted chicken.
$ 19.95
Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.
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Tags: Refreshing, Rose wines, Summer
Dwacon
June 2nd, 2009 at 23:24
Love a nice fruity wine on a warm summer day…
Dwacons last blog post..Banned from the Airwaves
Dave Brown
June 24th, 2009 at 02:36
Rose wines have recently become of favorite of both me and my girlfriends. We love how refreshing they are, and how nice it is to have a glass on a hot summer day. We drink ours very chilled. Is that how most people drink it? Anyways rose’s are great, and I’m glad that someone came up with them ever so long ago.