The Best Rosé Wines to Drink This Spring
Why are the Rosé Bottles Different? How are Rosé Wines are Made.
I watched NBC’s Today show this week. It featured Savannah Guthrie mentioning the gallons of rosé wine that will be consumed at the Summer Olympics starting on July 29th. I started counting the number times rosé wine was mentioned and lost count! The wine was a centerpiece of each segment. While I was in Paris last summer, I made sure that I tried their rosé wines from many of the various French regions. You should too. See Recommendations below.
The parade of countries at this Summer Olympics will come as a flotilla of flat boats down the Seine River. This year, I think it would be appropriate to have a Rosé Tasting Party to celebrate the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Rosé History, How is it Made?
Rosé is not just the trendy wine of the 21st century. When the Greeks planted the first grapevines in Provence 2,600 years ago, they were already making a great rosé. The wine is made from red grapes, which get their pink color from just a very limited exposure to the skins. The pink color ranges from an almost-no-pink to melon to salmon to a very bright pink depending on the grape used and the exposure to the skins.
The Napa Valley Wine Academy, where I received one of my certifications, has a great article on “How It’s Made: Rosé Wine.” Basically, the wine can be made four different ways:
Direct Pressing, Drawing off (a.k.a. Short Maceration), Saignée (“bleeding”), or Blending red and white grapes (in Europe this method is only allowed in Rosé Champagne. In the first two methods the clear juice of red grapes is given 12-48 hours of skin contact, just enough to garniche that pretty pink hue.
Why are Rosé Bottles clear and What are These Shapes?
In 2021 I interviewed my former Culinary institute of America, Napa Valley, professor, Karen MacNeil, author of The Wine Bible and Winespeed newsletter, “An Interview with the Author of The Wine Bible: Karen MacNeil.” Karen has a definite opinion on why the bottles are clear, and some issues with that, as stated in a recent Winespeed article.
“Rosé producers use clear glass because they believe your decision to buy (or not) will be based largely on the wine’s pretty pink color. But here’s the problem….wine inside clear glass bottles is highly prone to lightstrike, a fault that occurs when a bottle of wine is exposed to light for a prolonged period.” – Karen MacNeil, Winespeed
So, what is the solution? Make sure the rosé wine you buy is not in the front window of the store exposed to sunlight.
And the bottle shapes? According to Emma Balter, Wine Spectator, vintners in Provence like to mold their own traditions making quirky, odd but elegantly-shaped bottles. Many like Domaines Ott and Chateau d’Esclans have been playing with these shapes for years.
Provençal Wine with Food Pairing Recommendations
The Provençal like to pair their famous rosé wine with local specialty foods like Bouillabaisse, Aïoli with summer vegetables, Salade Niçoise, and Ratatouille. Bouillabaisse is the signature dish of Marseille consisting of fresh fish, saffron, herbs, onions, tomatoes, and copious quantities of croutons. Tiramisu aux Fraises--strawberries--is a popular dessert whether made with strawberries or raspberries. Sometimes this dessert is made with the “Roses de Reims” Champagne region biscuits instead of traditional ladyfingers. All of these dishes pair well with the fruit-forward aromas of rosé wine: strawberry, peach, and raspberry dried herb bouquets.
Wine Regions Producing Rosé Wines
Rosé wines are produced worldwide and are one of the fastest growing categories in the industry. It’s not your old White Zinfandel. Rosé wines are crafted with a variety of red wine
grapes traditional to the region where it was produced. In France, rosé wines are found virtually in all regions: Champagne, Burgundy, Provence, Bordeaux, Rhône Valley, Loire Valley, and others. In the USA almost every state offers rosé wine, and they are seen in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Austria, Spain, South Africa, and in many South America wine regions. Some are light-bodied like the traditional Provence-style and some are darker pink like the Tannat grape rosé wines produced in the Texas Hill Country.
Spring and Olympics Tasting Party Rosé Recommendations
2022 Vielle Ferme Rose, France, $11
One of the original great value rosé wines.
2020 Chateau le Champteloup Cabernet d’Anjou Rosé, Loire Valley, $13
A lovely Grolleau Noir-dominant rosé normally blended with Cabernet Franc and several other Loire Valley grapes.
2020 Chateau d’Esclans Rock Angel, Provence, France, $30
Decanter Magazine, 92 Points
2020 Chateau d’Esclans Garrus Rose, Provence, France, $120
Decanter Magazine, 93 points. A truly age-worthy rosé made from 100-year-old Grenache vines.
2022 Chateau Miraval, Cotes de Provence, France, $25
Robert Parker, 90 Points. The original Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie collaboration produced along with the famous Perrin family of winemakers.
2020 Sonoma-Cutrer Rose of Pinot Noir, Russian River, California, $23
Wine Enthusiast, 90 Points
2020 Bending Branch Tannat Frizzante Rosé, Texas High Plains, $25
A slightly sparkling rosé that is fruity and fanciful made from the Tannat grape--beautiful dark salmon colored.
Wine Wanderings Editorial Calendar
The Fine Champagnes of Billecart-Salmon
Chateau Montelena, and the 1976 Judgement of Paris Revisited
The Martini – What’s New, What’s Old: Classic vs. Modern
Grower Champagnes – Why are They the Darlings of Champagne? (WH)
The Loire Valley: Touring Chateau Chenonceau
Stoller Wine Group, Willamette Valley, Oregon, Winemaker Update
A South America Wine Tasting in Your Home
Two Surprising Wineries of the Loire Valley: Montdomaine and Ambacia, Ancient Sites with Modern, Organic Approaches
Celia Welch: A Napa Valley Winemaker Legend
Understanding Right Bank Bordeaux: Pomerol and St. Emilion