coming up rosés

Posted by on 1 April 2009 | 0 Comments

 A recent news item out of France was lamenting, quite rightly, proposed EU regulation changes which would allow rosé wines to be made by simply blending red and white.  The traditional way of making rosé uses only red grapes.  The process, which in France is called "saignée" (bleeding) involves the grape juice and skins being kept together for a very short time just a few hours after crushing.  This allows a small amount of red colour to bleed from the skins into the otherwise almost colourless juice to produce a shade of pink, which varies in intensity according to grape variety and the length of time the juice and skins are kept together.

Without going into technical details or gushing aroma and flavour descriptions it is fair to say that the traditional process produces a more distinctive, unique and enjoyable product and one with more winemaking integrity than simply blending white and red wine. 

This uniqueness and dstinctiveness has in recent years begun to be appreciated by a much wider wine drinking market.  For example growth in rosé consumption in the UK has been astronomical recently.  Apparently 10% of all wine consumed there is now rosé.

In New Zealand rosé consumption has also grown very rapidly in the last few years.  We are not hampered by any particular regulations as to how we can make rosé wines, so there may be some examples made using the red-white blending procedure.  In the Matakana region the number of rosé wines now produced has just about reached double figures and to the best of my knowledge they are all made in the traditional manner.

True rosé is very different from the lolly-water formerly sold under the name of rosé, which gave it such a bad name for many.  It is also very different from the red wines produces from the same grape varieties.  Rosé can be delightful consumed chilled on a summer afternoon or slightly warmer at this time of year and into winter - try it as an aperitif or with antipasti.

Call in to The Vintry next time you are in Matakana village and you will be able to taste the full array of local  rosés.  Approach them with an open mind and I'm sure you won't be disappointed, you might even become a convert, as many others have in recent times.

Robin Ransom