Every Day’s a Rosé Day
Well, it is for me! Yes, I LOVE rosé, I will happily drink it on a sunny, snowy, windy, or rainy day, no seasons are off limits when it comes to my rosé consumption. But am I alone? Apparently not, according to a representative of the ‘French regional wine makers’, ‘younger people are consuming more rosé than red and are drinking it all year round’. (https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2023/09/rose-wine-no-longer-vin-piscine-french-red-wine/)
Rosé has come a long way in recent years, I don’t know many people that love the sweet, watermelon pink, extremely fruity version. But if that’s what you like though, then you should go for it!
In terms of choosing a rosé that’s refreshing, balanced and pairs well with food; there are so many wonderful wines to choose from.
Is Rosé a Premium Wine?
Traditionally rosé doesn’t enjoy the same prestige as white and red wines. One of the most expensive rosé wines available is ,Domaine du Clos du Temple, from Cabrières, in the Hérault department, priced at 190 euros a bottle, but compare that with the world’s most expensive white wine, 1945 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti – $558,000, from Burgundy, (I don’t know if this is THE most expensive white wine in the world, but that’s expensive enough! Or the red wine, Screaming Eagle Cabernet 1992 from Napa Valley, at $500,000. Again, not cheap! And you can see that there’s a bit of a price difference going on.
Can Rosé Age?
One of the reasons why most rosé wine don’t command the same prices as white and reds, is that many believe that rosé is not ‘age worthy’, meaning it won’t be any good to drink after more than 2-3 years after its bottled.
There are some key factors that dictate whether a wine is capable of aging. Tannins are a natural preservative in wine, they are derived from the skins, seeds and stems of grapes. Tannins also come from oak ageing. Most grapes have clear juice, so to obtain the colour in red wine, the juice is pressed out of the grapes and left in contact with the skins and seeds that possess the tannin, the anthocyanin is also found in the skin, this pigment gives the wine the colour. Acidity is also a factor, the natural acid levels in a wine act as a way of preserving it too. As well as tannins and high acid levels, high potential alcohol/ or high sugar levels when the grapes are picked, is also a good attribute for making an ager. As sun is necessary to generate the high sugar levels in the grapes, this does put England slightly out of the picture for still wines at least, but with climate change, this might not always be the case.
When a wine ages the elements of the wine, namely, water, glycosides, phenolics, alcohols and acids constantly react with each other. Eventually the aromas and flavours evolve into what’s known as tertiary characteristics, primary fruit characteristics (that are detectable in a more youthful wine), like red berry and strawberries, might transform into something like dried fruit, with notes of leather or spice.
It is widely accepted that most rosé wines don’t possess the magic formula to be able to age like a red or white, but there are wine makers out there producing examples that challenge this theory. The beauty of rosé for most, is that it’s fresh, vibrant and fruit driven in its youth, so traditionally it just gets drunk!
Different Styles of Rosé Wines
But even if rosé isn’t generally a wine that matures, that’s not to say that rosés’ are all just primary fruits and made in one style, as a wine category, there is a huge amount of diversity. The primary flavours of rosé wine range from juicy red fruit, watermelon, floral notes, lime zest, through to rhubarb and honey. Of course, country of origin, grape variety and wine making decisions will dictate the style of the wine.
Our next blog is all about ‘How Rosé is Made’, exploring the three different production methods, so keep an eye out for this.
Some of the world-famous Provence brands made from the Grenache grape, are pale in colour and have flavours of honey dew melon, strawberry and rose petals.
New Zealand produce some super elegant rosé made from Pinot Noir, with some darker fruit flavours, like Morello cherry and vanilla and spice notes.
These are just some of the aromas and flavours that you might find in rosé, which shows how diverse and interesting the wines can be. Which means that you can choose a rosé to suit your mood or the occasion, lighter, crisp wines work well as an apéritif and fuller bodied, more flavour rich wines can be paired with food
(Another blog in the pipeline on matching rosé with food).
English Rosé
Because England isn’t a producer of bulk wines, a lot of the grapes will have been made from small batches of hand-picked grapes, that have been carefully fermented in small, stainless-steel tanks. Some rosé will be a blend of different grapes, like ours, which contains, 51% Pinot Noir Precoce, 30% Pinot Noir, 14% Pinot Meunier, 5% Chardonnay. This allows the wine maker to be really creative and precise, carrying out blending trails to discover the best combination.
Our rosé is reminiscent of a Provence rosé, in the sense that it’s fresh, crisp, and light in body, but it has some riper fruits and is a bit richer. You might notice notes of elderflower and orchard fruits, as well as a touch of tomato leaf and wild strawberries.
Conclusion
There really is so much to rosé, maybe sunshine does add some magic into the glass, but in general, due to the diversity and amazing range on offer, there’s plenty of reasons to enjoy rosé every day.