Rosé is no longer just a season. It’s been a long time coming, but the time has come to enjoy Rosé all year round. We often associate rosé with a summer drink. It seemed only acceptable to drink it during the warmer months. But times, they are a changing. While rosé is more of a crisp wine, and is nice on a warm spring day, it’s no different than drinking a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc in the winter. And since we live in a state that has over 300 days of sunshine, there is no reason to be contained to just a few months to enjoy a bottle of rosé.
One of the reasons that we may think rosé is purely a summer drink is because we don’t know a lot about it. Rosé can be made from a number of different grapes and because it doesn’t have to come from a certain grape, like sangiovese or sauvignon blanc, rosé can be made whenever a grape is ready. When the grapes are ready, there are three different processes to making the wine: the maceration method, the saignée (“bled”) method, and the blending method. The blending method is easy enough to understand – some red wine is added to a vat of white wine, thus creating a rosé. This method is more uncommon than the other two (but this practice is still done in France for sparkling rosé). And should you be considering it, I would not recommend mixing your favorite white wine with a red to get a rosé – it will not taste good. The maceration method is when the grape juice and skins are in contact with each other; the grape skins are soaking in their own juices. It is up to the winemaker to determine when he is happy with the rosé coloring. The juice, minus the skins, then completes the fermentation process. This method is the most common technique when it comes to rosé. As for the last method, saignée means that after a short time during the red wine making process, the juice is bled off. This makes for the pink color that is rosé as oppose to the deep reds red wine has.
The other nice thing about rosé is that it goes with so many food options. You don’t want a heavy red to go with your juicy steak but know a white won’t go well with it? There’s a rosé for that. There are heavier rosés, lighter ones, and sparkling ones and all are great for different types of meals where simply a red or white wine won’t cut it. Want a frozen ros
Rosé is no longer just a season. It’s been a long time coming, but the time has come to enjoy Rosé all year round. We often associate rosé with a summer drink. It seemed only acceptable to drink it during the warmer months. But times, they are a changing. While rosé is more of a crisp wine, and is nice on a warm spring day, it’s no different than drinking a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc in the winter. And since we live in a state that has over 300 days of sunshine, there is no reason to be contained to just a few months to enjoy a bottle of rosé.
One of the reasons that we may think rosé is purely a summer drink is because we don’t know a lot about it. Rosé can be made from a number of different grapes and because it doesn’t have to come from a certain grape, like sangiovese or sauvignon blanc, rosé can be made whenever a grape is ready. When the grapes are ready, there are three different processes to making the wine: the maceration method, the saignée (“bled”) method, and the blending method. The blending method is easy enough to understand – some red wine is added to a vat of white wine, thus creating a rosé. This method is more uncommon than the other two (but this practice is still done in France for sparkling rosé). And should you be considering it, I would not recommend mixing your favorite white wine with a red to get a rosé – it will not taste good. The maceration method is when the grape juice and skins are in contact with each other; the grape skins are soaking in their own juices. It is up to the winemaker to determine when he is happy with the rosé coloring. The juice, minus the skins, then completes the fermentation process. This method is the most common technique when it comes to rosé. As for the last method, saignée means that after a short time during the red wine making process, the juice is bled off. This makes for the pink color that is rosé as oppose to the deep reds red wine has.
The other nice thing about rosé is that it goes with so many food options. You don’t want a heavy red to go with your juicy steak but know a white won’t go well with it? There’s a rosé for that. Want a frozen rosé? I certainly won’t stop you. There are heavier rosés, lighter ones, and sparkling ones and all are great for different types of meals where simply a red or white wine won’t cut it. Want a frozen rosé? I certainly won’t stop you. And because rosé doesn’t age well, it’s best to drink it right away. Wouldn’t want to waste any…
There are still those that tend to turn their nose up at rosé, but not to sound dramatic, those people are wrong. It may not have the history as some other wines, or a name like Cabernet Sauvignon, but that doesn’t take away from its taste (and its great price). And if you’re looking to start your year-round enjoyment of Rosé, Forty Ounce Wines has released a 40-ounce bottle. Rejoice!