Spring has sprung! And it seems that no matter where we look, the world of food, wine and fashion is very much buzzing with talk of rosé!
As it turns out, for a long time the rosé that most people thought of was actually one specific type, called White Zinfandel – a sweet wine that many would agree is not very complex or interesting. However, recently, there’s been a trend towards rediscovering rosé as a respectable style of wine. More than respectable, the resurgence of rosé has made it the trend of this summer! From The Wall Street Journal to Snooth to Vogue, rosé seems to be in everyone’s glass recently.
Rosé is made using many of the same grapes that are used to make traditional red wines (i.e. Grenache, Cab Sauv, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, etc). Because of the wide variety of grapes used to make Rosé, naturally it is as various a wine as any! There is a common misconception that rosé is always sweet, because of the above mentioned association with White Zinfandel. In reality, rosé actually more often than not mirrors the true varietal that it’s made from, just in lesser intensity (though not necessarily flavor or quality). The best part about rosé is that it pairs with a wide variety of food, and is the perfect wine to enjoy while grilling – one of the many reasons it is one of the best wines to sip during the summer!
In general, while Spain and France produce the majority of rosé wines, it is the South of France that is particularly well known for the quantity and quality of production. Specifically, Provence and Languedoc-Rousillon are known for crisp and dry rosé. If you ever travel to the South of France, you will find rosé on every menu, in practically every glass, and in every outdoor cafe or restaurant, where it is paired with everything from vegetable to classic Provençal bouillabaisse. That said, you can also find delicious, affordable and refreshing rosé from California, Italy or Australia.
Wine blog Wine Folly published an article with a guide to 10 different styles of rosé. This is a great outline and overview of the different varieties. Use this guide to taste and compare as many varieties of rosé that you can find, and discover just how much more there is to rosé than you might have thought.
Cheers, and happy summer sipping!
