Rosé, Not Just a Summer Wine

I am so happy to see American wine drinkers finally embrace rosé wine.  Each summer for the past couple of years, I’ve seen more and more people ordering and drinking rosé.  I’ve also noticed that our local wine merchants are carrying a much broader selection. For the longest time, many Americans associated rosé with the sickly, sweet pink and white zinfandels or blush wines coming out of California.  If you’ve tasted these wines before, then you understand why rosé would mistakenly get a bad rap.

The yummy rosés that I’m referring to are fermented dry, which means that all of the sugar that was once present in the grape juice (also called must) has been converted to alcohol.  When it comes to white zinfandels or blush wine, the fermentation process is stopped BEFORE the sugar is completely converted to alcohol, leaving some sugar behind.  In wine speak; the leftover sugar is called residual sugar.

Another misconception is the belief that rosé is a blend of both red and white wine.  Rosé wines are actually made from red grapes only.  The beautiful pink and salmon hues come from phenolics that are present in the grape’s skin.  After the grapes are crushed, the skins are left to soak in the juice for a period of time.  This step in winemaking is called maceration.  The maceration process usually takes several days to a few weeks when making red wine.  With rosé wine, the process usually runs for just a few hours; long enough for the juice to turn the color that the winemaker desires.

Rosés range from light to medium body and have a nice balance of acidity to fruit.  This makes them excellent food wines.  Throughout the summer months, I serve rosés with practically everything.  They are perfect with grilled seafood, chicken and burgers.  Pairing wine with salad is always a challenge for me because of the acidity in the dressing but I have found that the fruitiness of rosés make it a great companion.  Rosés are wonderful with egg dishes, which make them a good choice for brunch.  I must admit however, that I enjoy rosés most when served on their own, chilled and poolside!! 

Okay everyone, well summer is OVER!  The good news is that rosé can be consumed year round. I no longer use the grill as much but we eat plenty of fish and poultry throughout the winter months.  I make dishes like roasted chicken, fish stew flavored with fennel and saffron, braised pork with apple cider, and a variety of soups; all of which go wonderfully with rosé.  Another plus is that rosés don’t have to cost a lot of money; my favorite ones are priced below $15. So why stop drinking it just because it’s known as being a “summer wine”?  My advice to all you wine drinkers is to head to your favorite wine store this weekend and stock up on enough rosé to last the winter.  Based on how much you consume, you can do the math, keeping in mind that the newly released 2011 rosés will make their appearance come spring. 

I will leave you with one last bit of advice.  Rosés do not age well.  You should be drinking the 2010’s right now.  2009’s are fine but the “drinking window” on those is quickly closing.  Most wine experts recommend drinking rosés for up to two years after they are bottled.  Once bottled, wine starts to lose its fruit flavors.  Rosés are meant to be fruity; that’s what makes them so great. So lets raise a glass to drinking more rosé in the coming months.  Cheers!