12 Apr The Audacity of Rosé

I’ve been thinking lately about the accessibility of wine. What can be done to make it less intimidating for every day you and me who are so curious and want to try but are terrified of being shamed by wine snobs?  

That led me to Rosé. What about Rosé makes it able to transcend?  Is it the escape from “red or white” stigma?  Or the identification of the color to gender norms that makes women so comfortable with it? Is it that this wine is “for the girls?’  These ideas piss me off, can we not just like rosé?!  Can we not have fun with wine and also have it be sophisticated?  I feel like I need to defend it in the way I defend my lower back tattoo.  “It’s not a tramp stamp, its a lower back tattoo. So just stop!”   I feel like Rosé has been given the short end of the stick. Riding on the 70’s and 80’s popularity of sweet white zinfandel, Rosé is not just the vehicle for getting white girl wasted at a music festival. 

The Many Shades of Wine courtesy of Wine Folly

Great infographic from Bottles Fine Wine

Rosé occurs when the skins of red grapes touch wine for only a short time. Where some red wines ferment for weeks at a time on red grape skins, rosé wines are stained red for just a few hours. (Wine Folly)   There is a long history of Rosé in most wine regions because it can be made with almost any kind of red wine grape. It can be a sophisticated blend or a single varietal (made with just one kind of grape). Personally, I adore both a grenache-blend or a pure Pinot Noir.

Rosé can please your palate in so many ways. They range from light & minerally to full & savory.  The color has a wide range as well.  Many studies have shown that the color of wine can change a consumer’s ideas about the wine. Studies show consumers tend to prefer the darker rosés visually but in blind taste tests prefer the lighter-colored rosés. So see, IT’S COMPLEX!

Beautiful Colors of a Pino Noir Rose

So next time someone makes a comment about how you like “pink wine,” pull down your sunnies,  swirl your glass and say DAMN RIGHT.

Blog Post Courtesy of Sarah Basta @she_sips

Follow Sarah’s Bog at www.she-sips.com