ROSÉ WINES

Discovering rosé wines

In France, Provence is the leading rosé wine production region, in the Côtes-de-Provence, Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence and Coteaux Varois en Provence appellations, with 40% of French rosé wine production. There are also very good rosé wines in Italy and also in the United States, where consumption has increased significantly over the past ten years.

Vins rosés

Everything you need to know about rosé wines

The grape varieties of the rosé wines of France

Among the main grape varieties of rosé wines are:
- Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cinsault in Languedoc, Provence and Rhône.
- Barbarossa, Nielluccio, Vermentino and Sciacarello in Corsica
- Pinot Noir in Burgundy (Marsannay) and in the Loire Valley (Sancerre and Menetou-Salon).
- Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grolleau, Pineau d'Aunis, Gamay and Côt in the Loire Valley (Anjou, Touraine).
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot in Bordeaux.

How do you make a rosé wine?

The most common (wrong) answer given to this question is still "by a mixture of red wine and white wine".....
And yet in France, only certain sparkling rosé wines such as Champagne can be made in this way. Many countries allow the production of still rosé wines (non-sparkling) by blending and in 2009, pressure from Australian, American and South African producers almost led to the adoption of this process in Europe, a bill that was eventually abandoned by the European Commission. It is therefore important to distinguish between rosé wines produced in the traditional way and wines produced, often industrially, by blending white and red wine.
So the answer is: no, still rosé wines produced in Europe cannot be made from a mixture of red and white wine. They can only be obtained by maceration, pressing or bleeding of red-skinned white grapes.

Methods of making rosé wine

Pressing consists of producing rosé wines from black-skinned grapes that are pressed directly without allowing the juice to remain in contact with the skins that provide the anthocyanins, i.e. the colour of the wine. The juice therefore remains very clear, from an almost white rosé to a salmon rosé and the resulting wines are low in tannins and intended for quick consumption.
Maceration consists of allowing the clear juice of the grapes to macerate in contact with the black skins, which impregnate the juice and give the wines more intense colours and a certain tannic structure. Once the maceration is complete, usually of a fairly short duration, from a few hours to 24 hours, the wort is pressed to separate the skins and seeds from the juice, which will then ferment on its own at a controlled temperature.
Bloodletting consists of letting the clear juice macerate in contact with the black skins as for maceration but to produce red wines. After a few hours of maceration, part of the juice is punctured at the bottom of the vat to obtain rosé wines, hence the name saignée and the rest of the harvest is left in the vat to produce red wine. Wines obtained by maceration and bleeding have brighter pink colours: raspberry, pomegranate, etc.

Which rosé with which meal?

Light rosés from Provence and Corsica: obtained mainly by direct pressing, they offer floral and fruity aromas (citrus) and can be enjoyed as an aperitif with tapenade for example or with simple dishes such as salads, pizzas, cold meats, or raw fish.
Powerful rosés from the Rhône and Provence: whether it is the rosé wines of Bandol made mainly from the Mourvèdre grape variety or the wines of Tavel in the south of the Rhône Valley, mainly from the Grenache grape variety, these are quite powerful and more structured rosé wines that can be kept for a few years in the cellar before being tasted with grilled meat and fish and slightly spicy dishes, whether they are local (aioli) or from elsewhere (curry, couscous).
Rosés from the Loire and Bordeaux: supple and aromatic rosé wines with notes of red fruits, violets, sour candy, to be drunk as an aperitif or to be enjoyed with pizzas, grilled meats or pasta.

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