Exposé on Rosé Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, USA – all the cool countries are making it! Rosé, with its delicious versatility, is all the rage in the wine world these days. But what is Rosé anyway? In short, it can be defined as pink wine, although such a description doesn’t begin to do it justice. Rosé – also known by a variety of cultural synonyms such as ‘blush’, ‘rosado’, ‘vin gris’, ‘chiaretto’ and more – ranges in style as widely as Canada ranges in altitude. Most of the time, pink wine starts out being made the same way as red wine, harvesting red grapes from the vineyards and crushing them to release the juice. In pink wine production, however, the grapes are pressed almost immediately after crushing to remove the juice from the skins. This imparts a slight coloration to the resulting wine but nothing as deep you would see in a red wine. By and large, pink wines are known for their summer-drinking as they quench a thirst while offering complexity in flavour. These are often the best wines for pairing with barbeques too, as the rich flavours which come from the red grape skins partner very well with the charcoal flavours off the grill, all the while cooling off the imbiber’s palate due to the chilled serving temperature of the wine. This is probably the most diverse wine category that exists, featuring wine styles from dry to sweet, various production techniques and a wine range of flavours and a style that is tailored to practically every preference. In the interest of discovering the many faces of Rosé, we thought it might be interesting to take a trek of sorts through the various styles of pink wine being produced in the world today. So grab a glass and let’s head off, beginning in the very land from where we British Columbians first imported the blush – the port to Europe itself – Portugal. One can hardly reminisce about the history of Rosés without the mention of the legendary Mateus Rosé. ‘Simple’ is probably the best word to describe Mateus Rosé in that it is neither impressive nor offensive, but rather it is an unpretentious introduction to the world of pink wines. Portugal’s pink wine production is not limited to this entry-level wine however, as today there are many Portuguese wineries crafting wines with tinted hues, all tending towards lightness in body and flavour, and compatible with tapas-style foods. Moving inland to Spain, we see a dramatic change in the style of Rosés being produced. One of the most renowned regions for pink production in Spain is Rioja, offering a range of hues from ‘Rosado’, which indicates a paler shade of pink to ‘Clarete’, a wine that is just shy of red. These wines tend to be vinified dry, allowing all of the sugar to ferment into alcohol which results in a hearty mouthful of rich ripe red berry fruit flavours. Neighbouring France has long played a role in the story of Rosé, featuring myriad styles of the pink stuff from such acclaimed regions as Champagne, Loire, Burgundy and Provence. Increasingly, we are seeing Rosés from the southern areas of France on our liquor store shelves, tagged with such localities as Costières de Nîmes, Côtes du Ventoux, Côtes du Rhône and Côtes de Provence. These wines are extremely popular with the French locals as they compliment a wide array of Mediterranean foods, from the traditional bouillabaisse (seafood soup) to fowl and lighter meats. A longer exposure to the grape skins prior to pressing means that these wines tend not only to be darker in colour than their northern counterparts, but also more flavourful as they have procured their share of tannins and flavouring components from the skins of the red grapes. While their pink distribution is significantly scarcer, even the winemaking veterans of Italy, Greece, Germany, and Hungary regularly make Rosé wines, with styles spanning from sweet to dry with everything in between. It seems that the Old World in its entirety has known for quite some time that there is a valid shade between red and white, colouring some of the most delicious wines in the world. As has been the case with most things in the history of wine, New World winemakers have taken a page from the books of the masters in creating Rosés befitting summer sipping. As our tour progresses in a southerly direction we begin to see evidence of imitation. Touching down in Australia, wine doesn’t get much more creative than these friendly blokes have made it, and their production of pink wine lends no exception to this rule. Unable to use geographical indicators such as ‘Rosé de Bourgogne’ or ‘Rioja Rosado’ as European founders used in describing their wines, the Aussies have come up with such gems as ‘White Shiraz’, ‘Pinot Rosé’ and wines that are simply labeled ‘Pink’. These wines are affordable, approachable and most of all quaffable, as their thirst quenching nature lends itself very well to the forever-summer climate down under. Home in North America, our American neighbours play a significant role in the history of pink wines around these parts. Back in the eighties, trailblazers such as Sutter Home Winery in California began vinifying red Zinfandel grapes, of which there was a surplus at the time, into pink wine, labeling it ‘White Zinfandel’. The result was a great fanfare of excitement by the American public, who clearly showed a preference back then to drinking sweeter-styled white wines (not to mention feathered hair and skin-tight jeans). Well, like the rest of the fads from that era, White Zinfandel too has waned in popularity, leaving but a few examples of the sweeter stuff on our liquor store shelves for those who are so inclined. And suffice it to say that the WZ Fan Club is still standing strong, both in the USA and here in Canada. We Canadians are far from missing the boat on the pink production frenzy – British Columbian vintners are crafting Rosés in almost every style imaginable – from Cabernet to Pinot Noir, from sparkling to still, from bone dry to syrupy sweet. Originating from such wine growing areas as the Fraser and Okanagan Valley as well as across Vancouver Island, these wines are readily available for BC consumers to enjoy with any variety of our local cuisine. From Asian stir fries to Pacific Rim fish, from grilled vegetables to sushi, from Goats Cheese to Gouda, as our local cuisine develops to reflect the natural bounty of our land, sea and sky, so too develops BC’s wine industry. Some may say that virtually touring the globe this way is akin to seeing the world through Rosé-coloured glasses. May there always be room in your fridge for an ever-versatile bottle of blush. A Bouquet of Rosés Mateus Sogrape Rosé +166 $8.79 Segura Viudas Lavit Brut Rosado +122796 $16.49 Laurent Perrier Cuvée Rosé Brut +158550 $88.57 Marques de Caceres Rioja Rosado +361188 $14.99 Quails’ Gate Rosé +170316 $14.99 Lafond Roc Epine Tavel +110411 $21.99 Sumac Ridge Private Reserve Rosé +273334 $12.99 Hardy’s Banrock Station White Shiraz +110882 $10.99 Beringer White Zinfandel +239756 $9.99 |
