Rosé wines have been produced in France and other regions of Southern Europe for centuries. The wines always enjoyed great popularity and never suffered the slings and arrows in Europe that they did in the United States. In fact, sales of rosé in France actually exceed those of white wine. A history of dry, delicate food friendly wines had no influence on sales outside of Europe. Until now. The increasing worldwide consumption of wine that had previously elevated all manner of sales of French wines, and their prices as well, has finally expanded to include rosé.
How is Rosé wine produced?
There are three different techniques used for producing rosé wines:
- Maceration--otherwise known as the skin contact method. The red wine grapes are crushed and the skin is allowed to remain in contact with juice for a few days to impart both color and flavor. The tannins of grapes are concentrated in the skins so the qualities of a red wine produced from the same grape as a rosé will vary significantly. The intensity of both color and flavor are directly related to the amount of time that the skins are left in contact with juice. A rosé can vary from having just a bare hint of color and a flavor very much like a white wine to an intense salmon or virtually red color. One of the most famed regions for wines in this style is Tavel. This is the preferred method for primary production of rosé.
- Saignée--otherwise known as "bleeding the vats." This is the technique used when the production of rosé is secondary. In order to intensify both the color and flavor of certain red wines a portion of the pink juice in the must is removed. These leaves less juice in contact with the pomade, yielding a very intense red wine and the juice that was previously extracted is turned into a rosé wine.
- Blending--despite a recent push by the European Union to allow this as a general production method, the measure was soundly defeated by loud protests by producers from France, Italy and Spain. The blending of red and white to yield a rosé is only permissible in the EU in Champagne. Even with it being permissible, many premium producers in Champagne, such as Laurent Perrier, prefer to use the maceration method in their production because they feel the end result is a superior wine.
In the United States all three production methods are used, but the premium producers normally choose to use either maceration or saignée.
How the reputation of rosé was maligned
In the 1950's there was a popularity for sweet and semi-sweet wines in the United States. European style dry rosés definitely did not fit this profile. The terminology still has remnants today, when many people who actually favor wines with fruit profiles assume it is sweetness that they are looking for. The 1970's witnessed and explosion in the mass production of lower and mediocre quality rosé wines. The association with these wines meant that French rosés were only appreciated by a very few people in those days. The use of grapes grown in unsuitable terroir and the use of blending made many of these wines deserve their reputation, but the association was nearly a death knell to US sales of European rosés.
Renaissance of an Old World art
A generation later and the environment could not be more different. Rosé sales are now the highest growth category in North America. The reputation of the Old World style of production and the wines it yields have caused an unprecedented surge in consumption of rosé. What Europeans have appreciated for generations, Americans have discovered and are now consuming with gusto.
The dry, food friendly but sippable wines are good any time of the year, but ideal during warmer months. A sparkling Rosé Champagne at brunch to pair with egg dishes and oysters is a fantastic choice. Seafood entrées al fresco, combined with a crisp dry Lirac end a hot summer day on a high note. As does simply nursing a chilled glass of a Coté de Provence rosé on a patio as the sun glides down to the horizon.
