It’s not red, it’s not white, so, what is it?

The Rosé colour is created when the red grape skins touch the wine for just a brief period of time. Whereas, red wines can undergo a fermentation process that lasts for weeks on end using red grape skins, rosé wines staining lasts just a matter of hours. This is what gives the liquid its pink colour. 

The winemaker can adjust the time the red grape skins are in contact with the liquid, then removes the grape skins when the liquid has reached the desired colour. In theory, nearly any red grape can be involved in the process of making rosé wine, however, there are a few that are firm favourites among expert wine makers because of their fruity hints.

How is it made?

There are 3 main methods of making rosé wine; Saignée method, Maceration method and the Blending method.

Saignée method

The Saignée method is when in the first steps of the red wine fermentation, some of the juice is separated and put in a new vat to make rosé. This method is very popular in red fine wine regions such as where our Californian Zinfandel originates from.

Maceration Method

The Maceration method is where red grapes are allowed to rest in the juice for a short period of time and afterwards the whole batch is created into a rosé wine. This is the most common type of rosé method.

Blending Method

The blending method is when a small amount of red wine is added to a vat of white and this creates the rosé colour.

Flavours of rosé

The main flavours of rosé wine are red and citrus fruits with floral hints.

The region in which the grapes with which the rosé wine is made can also influence its flavours; for instance French rosé wines tend to be relatively dry compared to other regions. Whereas, Californian rosé wine such as our Californian Zinfandel rosé tend to be sweet in flavour.

The flavour of Rosé wine can vary greatly from producer-to-producer, with some opting to create a sweet balance and others preferring dry.

The producer of our award-winning Grand Rosé Spumante has created a unique Extra Dry blend that has proven to be our best seller with nearly 600 five star customer reviews. The pink sparkler often referred to as “pink prosecco” is made in the same Charmat method as our 8 time award-winning prosecco DOC. It is made from a unique blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay providing a pale pink colour, with elegant hints of fresh ripe summer fruits, floral rose aromas producing a delicate sweetness.

Our producer in Breede River Valley, South Africa has created a 4 times award-winning medium dry South African Shiraz rosé. It is made with a unique Shiraz blend, the result is a salmon coloured wine that has fresh strawberry aromas and redcurrant flavours with a crisp finish.

Our Award-winning Pinot Grigio Blush is sourced from Veneto in Northern Italy and is a dry blend. This rosé wine is characteristically crisp and fruity with a ripe cherry aroma and flavours of strawberry.

In our range we also have a sweet Californian Zinfandel Rosé. Our zinfandel is made with grapes from Sonoma Country whose dry creek provides perfect growing conditions for our Zinfandel. It is Light pink in colour, with strawberry, summer fruit flavours and citrus notes. It is refreshing with delicate aromas with a medium sweet aftertaste.

Between our four examples of rosé, it is not hard to see the contrast between the grape varieties and flavours used by different producers and how they can greatly impact the flavour composition and aromas of the wine.

Which one’s your favourite? Click here to go shopping now.