This is the seventh year in a row that I have declared this “The Summer of Rosé” (I have tried every year to get Steve Inskeep to announce it on Morning Edition: apparently he does not read his email). I try to drink rosé all year, but it seems as though most people see it as a summer only type thing, so I figured I would ride that wave. There also seems to be a boatload of bloggers that write the obligatory rosé post at this time of year (similar to the sparkling wine post before New Year’s), and I figured I might as well do the same since I am a hopeless follower of trends.
There are essentially three ways to make rosé. The first is perhaps the most traditional way in which the grapes are picked and crushed and the resulting juice remains in contact with the skins for a short period of time. Since color is derived from this contact with the skins, the longer the contact, the darker the hue. Many of the rosés produced in the South of France use this more “traditional” method in which the grapes are grown from the start destined to become rosé.
The second method has a fancy French name: saignée, which means quite simply, “bled” or “bleeder”. With this method, shortly after crushing grapes destined to become a red wine, the wine maker “bleeds” of some of the juice. This is done so that the juice that remains will have a higher skin/juice ratio. Since many of the flavors, textures, and character in a red wine comes from this contact with the skins, it will theoretically improve the red wine. That bled off juice (which used to often be discarded) is then vinified into a separate rosé wine.
The third way, blending some red wine into a white wine is rarely practiced (with the notable exception of champagne). For a while now, I have wondered why that is: blending is widespread around the wine world, there are even some red wines that have some white wine blended into them (usually to add an aromatic component). I have seen just about every variety blended with others, as long as they were the same color. How’s that for discrimination? After some digging, I came away with no real good reason why reds are not blended into whites to make a rosé. Makers of rosé have fought to discourage blending in an apparent attempt to preserve the quality and image of rosés. They claim that if red/white blending were allowed, a ton of inferior rosé would be produced with leftover plonk and this would damage the “brand”.
Seriously, that is the only “real” reason I could find.
A good friend of mine, let’s call him Frank (since that’s his name), refuses to pay more than $10 for a bottle of rosé (refuses might be a bit strong here, but it is not far off). Frank has a great palate, and I questioned him about his steadfast stance since he is not shy to spend quite a bit more for reds, whites, and sparkling wines. His response? He frankly didn’t have one (yes, I said “frankly”). He just developed this rule for rosé a few years ago and has never really re-examined it.
It seems as though many have a similar view (I admit I did too until relatively recently). For too long, rosé, even dry rosé, has been regarded as this cute little wine that is great on the patio on a hot summer afternoon. I will admit that there is a good reason for that–most of the dry rosés at the $10 price point are a lot like other wines in that range: fruit up front and little else. Sure, there are exceptions, but for the most part, inexpensive wines are made to be enjoyed young, without a whole lot of thought.
And that’s fine.
Few people seem to realize, however, that dry rosé, good dry rosé is one of the two most food friendly wine styles (along with sparkling wine)–they can pair with just about any food you can throw its way and they can be refreshing, and balanced and complex.
I received a few higher end rosé wines as samples and I invited a few friends (including Frank) over to give them a whirl. Two of the wines, the Gary Farrell and the Cornerstone were “traditional” rosés—they were made from grapes that were dedicated to be rosés, while the other two, from Waterstone and Castello di Amarosa were both made using the saignée method.
The 2012 Gary Farrell Rosé of Pinot Noir ($28) was fantastic: tart and bright with great strawberry and raspberry fruit. The acidity was in perfect balance and had a finish that seemed to last for minutes. More please. Outstanding. 91-93 Points.
The 2012 Cornerstone Cellars Stepping Stone Corallina Rosé ($20), made from mostly Syrah, had tropical fruit a go-go. Mango and guava, even banana were all leaping right out of the glass. This wine takes you to a quick trip to the tropics. The pairing possibilities are plentiful: Mexican, Thai, and yes, the patio. Scrumptious and outside your typical rosé portfolio by a lot. Buy this. Outstanding. 90-92 Points.
The 2012 Castello di Amarosa Rosé of Sangiovese ($17) claimed right on the back label to be a great wine to sip out on the patio on a hot afternoon. Spot on: big ripe fruit and lot of fun without much contemplation. Would work extremely well with spicy tacos, Thai food, or pizza. Very Good. 86-88 Points.
Last, we cracked the 2012 Waterstone Rosé of Cabernet Sauvignon was the second saignée and I could have sniffed this for days. A classic cab nose: close your eyes and you think you have a young St. Julien in your glass. The winery claimed this would be great “for al fresco dining or lighter fare.” While I agree it would work in those situations, I think this wine offers more. With its great acidity and finish, I think this wine could stand up to most dishes without much problem. Outstanding. 89-91 Points.
Thanks to Cornerstone Cellars, Castello di Amorosa, and Folsom & Associates for providing the samples.
the drunken cyclist 
No French Rose??!! I might faint. ;~)
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Yeah, I know….
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alright, your descriptions have tempted me to fight the holiday crowd this afternoon at the local beer/wine store so I can sample some of these roses on my (very wet) patio this weekend. Thanks!
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Let me know what you think!
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Thanks for the great review!!
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Thanks for making such a great wine!
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Come on…I have been known to pay as much as $11.99…I say we do another tasting with some of those in the mix.
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$11.99? So you have upped your limit?
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I just came from my local liquor store where I’d gone to buy a few wines I tasted at a festivals last weekend. When they didn’t have the rose I was looking for, the guy who was helping me offered to help me find another good one. I waved him off, saying something like, “Oh that’s ok, I don’t really need another bottle of rose right now, I just wanted to try that one.” His response: “You always need another bottle of rose.” Point taken – I bought two!
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I agree with him 100%!
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You always need another bottle of Rosé . . . I love it!! It should be on a refrigerator magnet or something. Salud!!
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It is very interesting that many people still don’t get the concept of Rosé – the expectation is that anything of the pinkish color is a sweet concoction akin to White Zin… Ther5e is lots of education we (bloggers) collectively have to do to change that perception…
The Waterstone sounds very interesting – need to find it…
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You are so right, Anatoli–it is almost as if the pinkish hue is seen as a flaw….
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Great post! I love a good rose, and your descriptions of all of these are making me thirsty.
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Thanks! The wines were really great….
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Great post. Some of my favourite Australian wines to drink with food are Rosés. I don’t care for the season, I just want to drink a great wine with a fine meal. Some of the Hunter Valley, Yarra Valley, and Barossa Valley wineries have been producing some stonking saignées as well of late as well.
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I was with you until you pulled out “stonking”. Is that a good thing?
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Stonking is very good. Must be an Aussie thing. I never realise when I write these terms.
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Ha!
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Nice post! Have you tried the Miravel from Jolie, Pit & Perrin? At least in Germany that rosé has increased the interest of the average Joe in pink wine.
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I have not tried the Bradgelina yet–you think it is good?.
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Clever and witty as always–(frankly, you’ve got me wondering whether Frank is likely to read this post!)
And, a refreshing reminder that when I was in France one summer, I drank nothing but rose and heartily enjoyed it. I thought it was because I was young and stupid, but I’ve learned recently to have a lot more respect for my younger self. I knew what I liked, and my taste wasn’t bad.
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Frank did read the post and commented (above). I love the line: “I’ve learned recently to have a lot more respect for my younger self.” Not sure if my younger self deserves much respect, but I will get back to you on that!
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about respect for my younger self–it took me a couple of decades to begin to “get” one of my mentor’s little nuggets of wisdom (I have to credit the poet Michael Dennis Browner for the idea that we ought to strive to have respect for our younger selves).
The fact is, that if any human deserves respect, so does my younger self. And if we can learn to give respect to “her,” (of whom I am inordinately critical) I can more easily and readily give that respectful compassion to all of humanity. (It’s an elaboration of the old golden rule–if we are to decently and respectfully love “another” as ourselves, we first have to love/respect/have-compassion-for ourselves…)
Yikes–I don’t know where all that came from; it’s probably ’cause you’re in France or for some other Old World reason… let’s just call it a momentary but brilliant insight, brought about by a good conversation and wine.
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No need to back track! Great stuff!
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This post could not have arrived at a more perfect time. I was at dinner last night with friends at a cafe to sample their homemade mozzerellas and burratas and we decided, since it was a warm night and we were out on the patio, to have a couple of bottles of sangiovese rose. We all balked a bit at the $20-30 price range for what we considered patio wine, but we shouldn’t have. The wine was outstanding and paired perfectly with what we were eating (lots of cheese, lots of bread, and a bit of roasted vegetables). I cannot wait to try all of your recommendations!
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Great! I am glad it hit a sweet spot for you! What rosé did you end up with?
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The name escapes me, but it was a Sangiovese and it was utterly delightful. I’ve also since sampled some nice ones out of Washington State that are right around the $15 price point.
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There are more and more really good rosés out there these days, and I am very happy about that!
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I think we (Americans) are slowly breaking out of the White Zin legacy of pink = plonk. But you raised an interesting question a few weeks ago in the comments on my War of the Roses post . . . where would the CA wine industry be today without the influx of $$$ that White Zin brought with it? Maybe it’s a trade-off?
Something to ponder as you’re pedaling through Champagne. Anyone win the yellow jersey in your group yet??
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I think I might address the White Zin more succinctly in the future. As for the yellow jersey: um, no.
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Familiar with Charles & Charles Rose?
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I have seen it, but never tried it. Did you like it?
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Yes … very reasonably priced …. I can’t recall much else because I don’t drink that many rose.
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Ah, well you need to drink more of it then!
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Love a good Rosé! They’re wonderfully food friendly and perfect for summer.
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True and true!
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I’m with you, I enjoy Rosé any time of year….. Just spent ten days at Club Med in Vittel, France and that was just about all we drank the entire time. Great post!
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10 days in Vittel? Sounds wonderful!
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