ROSÉ WINE
IDENTITY AND CHARACTERISTICS

The identity of rosé wine: a wine that is finally rediscovering its prestige and uniqueness. No longer the third choice.

“Why isn’t rosé wine somewhere between white and red?”

Obviously not. There are tons of myths to bust about rosé; this is one of them.
There are a lot of ways to produce rosé but that doesn’t mean it’s midway between any two things. I often hear people incorrectly trying to define it as a “byproduct.” Yes, if we’re talking about the saignée process it goes through, then it might be possible to define it as such. However, even Grappa, an excellent Italian distillate is obtained from the pomace, which is essentially the pulp waste from the pressing. So even though one can get something like Grappa by distilling the pomace, rosé can be made in plenty of other ways. In fact, in Provence, really high quality rosé is made either by brief maceration or direct pressing.

We often believe the biases we hear: Rosé is just a summer wine, feminine, fresh, light, for drinking before dinner. Rosé is a wine with its own identity and a wine with an infinite shades of colors.

‘Rosé’ refers to a category of wine, just like ‘red wine’ does. There are rosés more suited to be drunk before dinner, and those that are better pairings for a meal. There’s also very sweet rosé, and sparkling as well. There are more full-bodied red wines suited to pair with a more substantial dish, and lighter reds meant for before
dinner; yes, even some reds that pair nicely with something as delicate as grilled fish. Every rosé has its own story and color, but this doesn’t make it a middle wine. Rosé has a unique identity. It’s a really complicated wine to make, and takes a lot of attention. Winemakers know this very well.

Moreover, the data on rosé these days is clear: it’s getting more and more popular. It’s not a fleeting trend, it’s a growing consumer interest in this type of wine. Wine is playing a huge part in social culture and this time period is favoring rosé. It’svisible just by the number of rosé associations that are being created, as well as the
number of rosé influencers that have been showing up all over the internet.

For example, the famous pairing oysters and champagne does not seem to be one of the best. Some people prefer rosé and some even vodka. Nobody is right, but to order champagne because “it is so” is not the right philosophy to appreciate the wine world. Let’s try!

THE IDENTITY OF ROSÉ WINE: CHARACTERISTICS

I read an article in which the author poses the question of whether a rosé should be drunk in the year it was actually bottles, considering the idea that the passage of time might make the wine lose its flavors and aroma. Rosè wine can Age. 
I’m not convinced. With good agronomic practices and good attention in the cellars, starting with a grapevine particularly suited to rosé, one can make wines of very high quality in which the sensory profiles can mature with time, without losing their identities: in older rosés, the color can tend to be more like copper, and the fruitier notes start to leave room for the spicier notes. After much turmoil, we’ve managed to convince ourselves that certain white wines have potential to age and improve over the years- maybe soon we’ll believe it about rosé too. The choice of rosé can excite. 

How can one choose a really high quality rosé?
Try lots of them, ask for opinions in a wine bar or from the producers. In France, Provincial rosés tend to get pricier the older they are. Provence is something of a point of reference for high scale rosé. Some of the most amazing rosés in the world, like Whispering Angel and Miraval are produced there.

Why is Provence so famous?

Provence’s success is due in large part to a unified communication strategy, based onpromotional campaigns that insisted on certain characteristics in the product and the terroir, on food pairings, even the moment in which wines should be consumed.  France has been able to promote a wine’s land and identity. It’s not enough to only drink rosé in the summer: In Provence, it’s highly appropriate to drink at Christmas as well. In England, it’s for Valentine’s Day. Italy has plenty of areas that are suitable for the production of rosé, including, but not limited to Lake Garda, Abruzzo and Puglia.

Right in Puglia, actually, there’s a winemaker who produces an aged rosé.

Long live rosé!