Roses Now in Stock + Newsletter Rose Class!

With the weather warming up, we're just getting into peak season for Rose drinking. Instead of just sending out a list of our Rose's that are now in stock, this newsletter will also double as Class 1 in an Educational Series that we will be sending out in our newsletters. With the information provided in this newsletter, you will be able to gain knowedge and better understand what you are tasting.

Rose wine can be made in many differnet ways, and while learning about these techniques, you will also get a basic lesson in winemaking and winemaking techniques that are used in all types of wine.

Although Rose can be consumed year round, its popularity peaks in the Spring and Summer months here in the Northeast. Roses are beloved for being quaffable on their own, as well as pairing well with a myriad of different foods such as prosciutto, mascarpone with grilled fresh figs, or an aged pecorino cheese, just to name a few.

What most people don't realize is that there are four different methods that are used to produce Rose. These are Skin Contact, Saignee (also a type of skin contact), Blending (combining red and white wines together) and Vin Gris. However, in order to understand Roses we have to address the basics of the winemaking process.

The Harvest

The grape harvest is an exciting time for the winery. All of the hard work performed throughout the year has come down to this moment. This is hard work time, but also party time. The grapes are brought back to the winery and crushed for the winemaking process to begin. Depending on the quality of the fruit, this is either a celebration or a disappointment

The Crush

The crush is the process of extracting the juice from the grapes. What on its face seems like a straightforward procedure actually has several variations, with Rose wine demonstrating several of these, which we will discuss shortly.

The Maceration

Maceration is the process of extracting the color, tannins and other flavoring comonents. The methods in which the grapes are handled will result in very different expressions of the same grape varietal. Some producers will do whole berry macerations while others will macerate crushed grapes and still others will macerate crushed grapes at particular temperatures. The message to remember from this is that each method of maceration has an effect on the type and quality of the final wine.

The Fermentation

The fermentation process is simple, yet complicated at the same time. What apparently seems like a straightforward process, the conversion of sugar to alcohol, can be manipulated in a number of different ways, resulting in many different outcomes. For instance, by regulating temperature, one can either increase or decrease the time it takes to ferment, which will cause the final wine to take on differnet expressions. Fermentation can also take place under a cloud of carbon dioxide, to produce a fruiter style of wine, such as Beaujolais Nouveau. The basics, however, is the conversion of the sugar that is in the grape into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. The sugar content in the grape can be directly related to the concentration of alcohol in the wine - the more sugar you start with, the more alcohol can be produced. However, if fermentation stops before all of the sugar is converted, the wine is sweeter, with lower alcohol.

Skin Contact

Producing Rose by Skin Contact involves the process in which the red grapes are crushed, and the juice (which is actually golden in color) is left in contact with the skins for just a short period of time (2 to 6 hours generally), to exract enough color from the skins in order to produce a wine with a pinker or redder hue. All Roses from Provence are made in this style. Some examples being Chateau du Rouet, Domaine Ott, Les Domainers, Mas de Gourgonnier and Minerval.

Blending

This method is best known in the Champagne region of France. Most sparkling Roses are made using this method. The process involves blending finished red wine and white wine together to obtain the desirable taste and color. Try Veuve Clicquot Rose and Billecart-Salmon Rose.

Vin Gris

This means white from red, where the clear juice is separated from the red skins, and treated as if it were a white wine. Unlike a wine made from the skin contact method, where the juice sits in contact with the skins, Vin Gris actually produces a white wine from red grapes. You can try Domaine Chandon Blanc de Noir for an example of this method.

Saignee

The Saignee method is a blending technique in which, while a red wine is being made, a portion of the juice is bled off, or taken away from the maceration process. The red wine that is produced will be much more intense and red without this juice, and the released juice can make its own wine - a crisp, solid rose, though hard to come by.

With this bit of info under your belt, enjoy the following Roses, and know that our collection of Roses will continue to expand this year.

Cheers!