The National Wine
UnClub
Newsletter
July/August 2006
A Rosé By Any Other Name...
Rosés are hot! They now jump off the shelf, even by the case, during the summer months. My, how have times have changed...just a few short years ago any wine that had a pink hue was immediately written off by the wine intelligencia as an unacceptable drink in serious circles. The popularity of white Zinfandel notwithstanding, no self-respecting wine enthusiast would be caught dead with this pale-colored juice.
Now, every red grape used to make sophisticated red wines is also used to turn out more and more magenta-shaded rosés. No varietal is left out, including the magnificent Cabernet Sauvignon and the elegant Pinot Noir. Rosés are more typically made from secondary grape types, like Grenache, Mourvedre, and Syrah. As you travel from region to region in Europe you begin to see how diverse rosé has now become.
In France, classic rosé wines have been a mainstay for much longer than perhaps anywhere else in Europe. Famous dry rosés are made in districts like Tavel in the Rhone (principally Grenache), Bandol in Provence (Mourvedre), Sancerre (Pinot Noir), and of course Champagne (Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier). A bit sweeter, but still a serious effort, are the salmon-colored Cabernet Rosés of Anjou in the Loire River Valley (Cabernet Franc).
New efforts in French rosé are emerging in the Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France and the Costieres de Nimes appellation just west of the Rhone River. Here the blend of 70% Grenache/30% Syrah is most favored. Most of these wines are made with the popular 'saignée' method, where a 'bleed off' from a red wine fermentation becomes a deeply-colored rosé that is excellent.
In Italy you'll find more rosés than ever before, particularly in the South. In Sicily, the grape is Nero d'Alvola (a relative of Syrah). In Apulia, rosés are made with Negroamaro and Primitivo (a relative of Zinfandel). In Tuscany...you guessed it...the famous Sangiovese turns out bright ruby, raspberry-flavored rosés. One of the more rare rosés of northern Italy is a sweet dessert wine made with the little-known Moscato Rosa grape. A lovely, crimsom-colored (also sweet) rosé bubbly called Brachetto d'Acqui from Piedmont, Italy is gaining notoriety in the United States as well.
In Spain, rosé has also re-emerged from the near obscurity it had been subjected to while Americans turned their collective nose up at pink juice. The grapes used? As has been stated before, the same varietals used to produce the serious reds of the country - in this case Tempranillo (the most elegant, with pure cherry fruit tones), Garnacha (same as the herby, berry-flavored Grenache of France), and a bit of Monastrell (same as France's spicy Mourvedre).
Some of the more unusual rosé wines of the world are the Argentinian Malbec rosés that are now hitting the market (classy dark-hued, yet translucent wines with a rounded blue-fruit character). Australia's Shiraz is now being used for peppery-scented rosé production (the Margan Shiraz Saignée is a good example). Speaking of pepper (white pepper), there are a few good Zinfandel Rosés coming out of California (try Pedroncelli and the dry White Zin from Norman Vineyards in Paso Robles).
So, for no more than $15 typically, you can decide on a rosé wine as an alternative choice for your next summer wine purchase. It's amazing how well these chilled beauties hold up to grilled, smoked, spicy cuisine. They are refreshing...and serious... thus bridging the gap nicely between white wines that are less flavorful and those over-warming reds that make you sweat more on those sweltering hot summer afternoons out by the barbeque pit!
Cheers!
Donald W. White