Rosé Primer
Yes, you should drink more rosé!
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Okay it’s officially beach weather and basically summer in my neck of the woods – so time to talk about the big, pink elephant in the room…ROSÉ! I am here to defend the sheer joy found in a great bottle of rosé. Since the start of my wine career I’ve watched it overcome misunderstanding here in the United States, come into fashion, hit peak fashion, and then fizzle out a bit (especially in industry circles). But if you live somewhere as warm as South Carolina it just feels right to open a bottle of rosé on a humid summer eve. And the great ones offer up even more food pairing possibilities than many white wines. But first of all there still seems to be some confusion over the pink juice that bears addressing so let’s get to it…
Most rosé is pinkish wine made from red grapes. Sometimes it’s a blend of red grapes; sometimes it’s made from one variety – like Pinot Noir. Yes, you can make rosé from blending red and white wines together, but in Europe that’s mostly illegal. I say mostly because the one very famous exception to this no-blending rule would be Champagne. Most rosé Champagne is actually made as a white wine and then given a bit of color by adding still red wine.
But back to most rosé…the majority of rosé is made from red grapes by allowing limited skin contact (sounds racy I know!.) And this brings us to two different techniques. Firstly, let’s discuss the saignée method where you run pink juice from a tank of red grapes and let it ferment away from the skins. (Saigner means “to bleed” in French.) The red grapes continue on their own fermentation path to make a red wine – so you are getting two wines from one batch of grapes. Now that’s a good deal!
Second method is limited skin maceration where you decide from the beginning that your red grapes are destined to be rosé and nothing else (no side project!). This is a bit more serious take on the wine as you are harvesting with this intention. The process would still be much the same as the saignée method described above. You would bring your grapes in and allow them to sit in your vessel releasing juices that are developing color from the grape skins. Once the juice is your desired color you press the grapes and then ferment this juice. (The longer the grapes spend “on the skins” before pressing results in more color.)
So what does all of this mean when you are at your local wine shop sorting through the myriad of pretty pink bottles? Firstly, there is delicious wine made from all methods. My one major point of advice would be to stick with smaller, family owned wineries that are really putting some care into their wine. There are plenty of these in the $20s, and they will taste significantly better than that $15 bottle at the grocery store.
A few final points that I saw come up all the time when I managed a bottle shop:
Yes, most rosé is dry (meaning there is no discernible sweetness) – be gone any distant memories of grandma’s White Zinfandel (which is a whole other story!).
No, darker colored rosés do not indicate sweetness.
Don’t be afraid to buy last year’s vintage; it often takes a full year for a rosé to really unfurl all its deliciousness. I think the 2022s are drinking awesome right now (in the spring of 2024). (Current release for most rosé right now would be 2023.)
There is great rosé made from around the world. Sure, southern France is romantic but don’t get stuck in one region. See the myriad of regions in the top photo – Slovenia, California, Oregon, Italy, and southern France.
Finally like I said – don’t get caught up in hype or trends. Beautiful, well-made rosé will always have a place at the table (or the pool!).
Rosés Pictured Above (relatively clockwise):
Limited Additon Pet Nat (Sparkling!)
Grapes: Cab Franc & Mencia
Region: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Story: From Chad & Bree Stock – known for naturally made wines made from more off the beaten path grape varieties
Pairing: Really anything but believe it or not this dark hued, sparkling rosé would be amazing with burgers!
Average Retail Price: In the $30s
Lioco
Grape: old vine Carignan from single vineyard
Region: Mendocino, California
Story: From Matt & Sara Licklider – known for outstanding Chardonnay, Pinot Noir & THIS Rosé (other things too but these are highlights!)
Pairing: Really anything but just recently I had this beauty with a fried seafood feast (specifically oysters!), and man was it good!!
Average Retail Price: In the $20s
Monfort
Grape: Pinot Grigio (which is not red or white but copper in color!)
Region: Trentino, Northeastern Italy
Story: From the Simoni family who has been working the land in Trentino since 1945. They make amazing sparkling and still wines, including this skin contact Pinot Grigio aka Ramato. This is very old style going back to a time when the grapes were involuntarily pressed by farmers delivering them on wagons. Italians do not think of it as an orange wine or a rosé but rather its own unique category. (But I would still call it rosé!)
Pairing: Really anything or nothing at all – could def be a porch sipper! But I would also love it with some very creamy cheese and something salty like salami!
Average Retail Price: In the $20s
Clos Cibonne
Grapes: Tibouren with bit of Grenache
Region: Provence, France
Story: From the Roux family who planted the little known Tibouren grape here in the 1930s. They make a very unique style of rosé that is aged in barrel for a year before release! See, here, in this coastal, Mediterranean climate, there is a bit of magic in the cellar. While the rosé ages in those large, ancient barrels, a unique yeast veil develops on the surface of the wine. (If you are familiar with the famed yeast veil of Sherry; this is indeed similar.) This leads to a complex, somewhat savory rosé.
Pairing: This could honestly stand up to something pretty decadent like lobster or roasted chicken!
Average Retail Price: In the $40s
Gonc Rosé
Grapes: 50% Žametna črnina, 20% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Grigio, 10% Blaufränkisch
Region: Slovenia
Story: Gonc winery is a family tradition going back to the year 1936 when Peter Gene’s great grandfather built their first wine cellar and planted the vineyard around it in the small town of Dobrovnik in Slovenia. Peter is the 4th generation of winemakers and winegrowers in the family.
Pairing: Like the Monfort this could pair with anything or nothing at all, but I do love the idea of having it over a leisurely summer lunch — perhaps a picnic — with egg salad sandwiches!
Average Retail Price: In the $20s
If you live in Charleston I bought these at Wine & Company and Graft (except the Limited Addition I had stashed away). But all should readily available in Charleston so just ask your own fave wine shop!
Other things I would enjoy eating with rosé:
Potato Chips & French Onion Dip
Buttered Popcorn
Tinned Seafood
Raw Seafood (like crudo or ceviche)
Seafood Stews (like bouillabaisse)
Seafood Boils (like shrimp or crawfish)
Curried Dishes (rosé works well with spice!)
Fried Chicken
Barbecue
So much more but that’s a good start!