Enigma: Something hard to understand or explain. A mystery, problem, puzzle or riddle.
Why would I use such a word in conjunction with Rose’? Here is where my brain is going with this. It’s hard to understand or explain why Rose’ is only popular when the sun shines. That is a mystery to me, it puzzles me. Riddle me this… What is pink and matches with yellow? Think about it. From earth, the sun appears to be yellow and when it comes out, the pink comes out of the fridge. It’s a bit of a stretch I know, but it is true. Rose’ for most people is considered a warm weather wine. The proof is in the sales, at least in my department. To be fair, there are a minority of people like me, that drink the pink year-round. However, we are the exception and I would like to understand why.
I think one of the main reasons is that Rose’ is lumped in with white wine. Yes, it’s refreshing when cold and certainly helps to make a hot day more tolerable. One of the best analogies I’ve heard is comparing white wine or Rose’ with beer. Most people don’t give a second thought to cracking open a beer in February when the Superbowl is on or any other time during the fall and winter months. Why is it okay to drink beer year-round but not Rose’? I know a lot of you are not beer drinkers, but the point should not be lost on that. Beer is accepted as a beverage that can be consumed any time of the year. White wine and Rose’ not so much; especially Rose’.
We’ve had a wonderful streak of warm weather this July in the area I live in. As expected, Rose’ sales have flourished. I can almost guarantee that on the first cool, wet day, sales of Rose’ will slump. What can I do to convince you to make Rose’ a part of your wine purchasing no matter what time of the year it is or what the weather is like? The most important factor in my mind is its ability to pair with so many different types of food.
Yes, Rose’ is a great porch pounder, but it is so much more. Just think of all the food pairings that Rose’ is capable of. Pork, chicken, salads, salmon, white fish, shellfish, noodle bowls, ham and so much more! It is one wine that can go with so many different dishes. Yet so many wine drinkers get stuck on the warm sunny day pairing and miss out on the food pairing ability of this amazing wine. The styles of Rose’ are also diverse, which makes it an even more interesting wine.
Rose’ can be made in four different ways. The winery can use the free -run juice that comes off the grapes at first press. Not a lot of color comes out, then they use the rest of the grapes for the varietal they are making. This is referred to as the direct pressing method. The second is called “limited skin maceration.” This method is used if the winemaker wants the grapes to be dedicated to rose’. Before pressing the grapes, they allow skin contact anywhere from two hours to 48 hours, depending on what color they are trying to achieve. The grapes are then pressed creating a rose’. The left-over skins are tossed. A third way to make rose’ is the Saignee method. Saignee in French loosely means to bleed. After a period of maceration (usually 2-6 hours), some juice is removed from the skins to make Rose’ and the rest of the grapes are used to give more concentration to the varietal that they are to be used for. For instance, a winemaker intends to make red Grenache. He or she will bleed off some of the juice for a Rose’ and the rest of the grapes are blended in with other Grenache to give it more concentration. Two wines for the price of one so to speak. The fourth method is blending red wine and white wine to create a Rose’. This is not allowed in Europe except for the making of Rose’ Champagne. It’s not the most popular way of making Rose’ in the States, but I’m sure some wineries still do it.
Dedicating the grapes to the making of Rose’ is what most consider the best method for making quality Rose’. Of course, you will rarely see on any label the method used to make the Rose’. I believe that what is in the bottle is what counts no matter how it is produced. If you like it, then by all means buy it and enjoy it. However, don’t wait until the warm weather arrives. Treat Rose’ like any other wine and pair it with the food you are eating. Also, in my opinion, Rose’ is enjoyable while you sit in your cozy house watching the snow fall outside. The sun does not need to shine for Rose’ to shine, just saying.
If you get a chance, watch one of my recent episodes on my YouTube channel where I review a few of my favorites in the pink category. I also encourage you to watch my interview with Ashley Trout the winemaker and owner at Brook & Bull Winery in Washington State. She goes into great detail about her approach to the making of Rose’ and how tricky it can be.
I would like you to consider making Rose’ a big part of your wine drinking experience year-round. You will be pleasantly surprised with its versatility when it comes to food pairing and how enjoyable it can be on a cold night in the Fall or Winter.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
