Why do we call this pink wine ‘rosé’?
- Rosé is the French word for the color pink, and English-speaking wine regions are historically rather francophilic with their wine vocabulary.
Why are rosés different colors?
- The duration of the grape skins’ contact with the juice during the pressing or fermentation process determines the intensity of color in the resulting wine. The specific shade of pink or orange depends on the variety of grape. Any red grape can be used to make rosé, and since all of those have slightly different color aspects, a rosé of Cabernet Franc will be different than one made of Sangiovese or Pinot Gris or Syrah. Also, over time, the color will lose its intensity as the acidity of the wine lessens. Some old rosés can even end up practically colorless once they fade!
How should rosé be served?
- Treat rosé like a white wine. Keep it chilled and serve on a hot day! Or on a cold day. Or in the evening. Maybe even in the morning?
What does rosé taste like? Is rosé sweet?
- Rosés can be all across the board in terms of sweetness, acidity, and overall flavor profile. A lot of them are fruity and delicate; some are tart and austere; others are syrupy and juicy. Our professional advice is to keep trying them until you are an expert.
Why are red wines more expensive than whites and rosés?
- Red grapes typically cost more from the vineyard; the fermentation and production process requires more attention; and the wines are aged in expensive oak barrels, which then need to be stored and taken care of for multiple years. Based on the required labor and input costs, red wines end up being more expensive to produce.
Is White Zinfandel a rosé?
- Yes! White Zin is made from, you guessed it, red Zinfandel grapes. It’s an exception to the standard nomenclature: usually rosés are referred to as “rosé of Sangiovese” or “rosé of Mourvèdre-Syrah”. “White Zinfandel” as a name was developed in the 1970s by major California label Sutter Home as a marketing tool, and as the first producers of this wine in the States, their term became ubiquitous.
