Rosé wine has long been misunderstood in the United States. Due to the wildly successful production and marketing of White Zinfandel in this country, a lot of people assumed that all pink wines (even bad quality ones) are similar or the same as rosé.

In recent years it seems that American consumers are finally catching on to how good rosé wines can be. Thanks to old traditions in making dry, crisp, tart blush wines in France, Spain and Italy and inventive explorations from the new world, examples of great Rosé can easily be found!

Rosé wines are made with red grapes, but unlike red wines, the grape skins are removed from the rosé after just a few hours, imparting a limited amount of color and flavor.

Flavors such as strawberry, honeydew melon, rose petal, citrus zest and rhubarb are common to rosé.

There are three primary methods for making rosé:

Maceration:  after being crushed, grapes rest in the juice for 2 to 20 hours, before being strained out. This method is used in Provence and Languedoc- Roussillon.

Saignee: during the first few hours of making a red wine, some of the juice is bled off and placed in a separate vat to create a rosé. This method is commonly used in Napa and Sonoma.

Blending: a little bit of red wine is added to a vat of white wine (usually only up to 5%). This method is rarely used for still wines. It is mostly employed for making rosé Champagne.

Rosé wines at Maynards Market

• Mariscos Vineyard “The Ned” Rosé of Pinot has both Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir grapes in it, comes from Marlboro, New Zealand. Retail price $14
• Le Charmel is from Provence, France, and has Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault and Rolle grapes in it. Retail price $23
• Chateau de Trinquevedel is from Tavel, in the Rhone Valley. This is a world class wine, from a place that only makes rosé. Mostly Grenache and Cinsault, they will sometimes add some Mourvedre and Syrah. This wine sells for $31 and is worth a try, especially if you’re interested in experiencing a wonderful rosé.

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 October Wine Quote

“Drink wine, and you will sleep well. Sleep, and you will not sin. Avoid sin, and you will be saved. Ergo, drink wine and be saved.” 

– Medieval German saying

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October Wines Of The Month

White Wine of the Month – Calabuig, 2016 Blanco 
Bright, clean wine made with the Macabeo grape, from Valencia, Spain.

Red Wine of the Month –Calabuig, 2016 Tinto
Made with Tempranillo and Monastrell grapes, it has rich red fruit flavors and smooth soft tannins.

Wine Club members please come in and pick up your wines before they’re gone.

Cheers!

Steve Berger

Sommelier, Maynards Market and Kitchen