The French kings Philip IV and Louis XIV considered this drink a gift from God, in the 70s of the last century it was the best-selling drink in the United States. In France, it is called “rosé”, in America – “blush”, and in Spain – “rosado”. Rosé wine is back in fashion, however, in Russia this trend is not yet as noticeable as in the West.
Pink wine is a separate intermediate variety between white and red wines, produced using a unique technology. It is produced in almost all wine-producing countries, including Argentina, Chile and Australia, but the traditional suppliers of rose wines are the regions of Provence, Lirac, Tavel (France), Rioja, Penedez, Ribera del Duero (Spain), California (USA).
Rosé wines are famous for the aroma of strawberries, grapefruit, raspberries, red currants, almonds, lindens and even cut hay. They are easy to drink and quench your thirst. With a simple neutral taste, these wines are suitable for any occasion.
Production technology
The production of rosé wine does not use red and white grape varieties, as is commonly believed. By mixing two types of juice, only pink champagne and fakes are made. Real rosé wine is made from red grapes.
In various variations, two methods of production are used:
- Quick spin. When squeezing, grape juice is not allowed to come into contact with the skin containing coloring matter for a long time. As a result, the juice is not red, but pink.
- Maceration (soaking). The most common method. After pressing, the skin of the berries remains in the finished must. When the desired color is reached, the skin is removed, and the wort itself is poured into another container for fermentation.
Further technology is reminiscent of working with white varieties.
Rosé wines are not usually aged for a long time; drinks with an aging period of 1-3 years are considered optimal. Be sure to read the label before buying. On high-quality French rosé wines, there should be an inscription: “Appellation … controle”, which indicates the name of the appellation (a region with a unique microclimate and soil) where the drink was made.
Spanish rosé wines are marked with the inscription: “Denominacion de Origen Calificada” or “Denominacion de Origen”, it indicates the region of production and strict quality control.
Drinks from all other producing countries do not have distinctive labels, so the trial and error method works here, you will have to try the products of several distilleries, and then choose the option you like.
How and with what to drink rose wines
To enjoy these drinks, I advise you to remember the following:
- Serving temperature – 10-12 °C.
- Two-year-old rosé wines are considered optimal for a feast, this time is enough for the full formation of their taste and aromatic features.
- Tall glasses are half filled with wine and drunk in small sips, trying to catch all the notes.
- Appetizers for rosé wines can be different dishes: red and white meat, fish, pâtés, fruits, etc.
