No one expected the pink wave that crashed onto the wine scene the past decade or so. Once scoffed at and thought of as an inferior product, rosé has taken the world by storm. The velocity of rosé growth, according to Bevalc Insights, is forecasted to rise by almost 70% from 2020 to 2024. Consumers pay more per bottle each year, paving the way for premiumisation in the rosé category. Celebrities like Bon Jovi, John Legend, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Post Malone have contributed to the rise of rosé as a luxury product with their own brands. The IWSR says the category will only grow as celebrities continue to launch products, broadening the demographic. Plus, with events and movements popping up like National Rosé Day, it's safe to say the rosé trend isn't going anywhere.
Rosé is made in a few different ways, such as the saignée method, direct pressing, blending, and limited skin maceration, according to VinePair. The saignée method occurs during the process of making red wine. Some of the juice is bled off before it has had too much contact with the skins. The separated juice is vinified into rosé before the rest continues contact with grape skins to make other major types of red wine. A direct press method when a delicate and pale wine is the desired outcome and is done by softly pressing the grapes until the free-run must (juice) is extracted. Limited skin maceration is when the grapes are destemmed, crushed, and left to sit on the skins for hours or up to two days, depending on the intended hue and phenolics. A blended rosé is the easiest to understand; it is mixing red and white wine, which you can do in your kitchen!
Provençal
Provence and rosé go together like Japan and sushi — you can't think of one without the other. The ballerina slipper-hue of rosé made in this coastal region of Southwest France is striking against a backdrop of turquoise waters. As a wine region, Provence dedicates 91% of hectares of vines for rosé (per Vins de Provence). The grapes used in a rosé from Provence are usually a blend of mourvèdre, syrah, grenache, cinsault, carignan and cabernet sauvignon. And while rosé might seem like a newer concoction, rosé was produced in Provence 2 600 years ago.
Although rosé production ramped up in many European countries during the 1990s, it was still considered tacky and uncivilized in the U.S., possibly due to the onslaught of terrible white zinfandel that had torn through the country in the 1980s. But over time, the perception has started to change — this isn't the same syrupy pink swill from decades past. Rosé from Provence was the first style to gain popularity in the States. Its pale pink hue, racy acidity, and soft flavors of strawberry, peach, and watermelon with an edge of minerality began to win over not just consumers but wine connoisseurs as well. Now, you would be hard-pressed to find a winery that doesn't make a rosé. Vins de Provence tells us that the market for Provençal rosé has grown by 500% in the last 15 years.
A glass of Provençal rosé.
Sparkling
From rosé Cava, Prosecco, Champagne, Méthode Cap Classique, nearly every type of sparkling wine has a rosé version. Each one differs depending on the production method and where it is crafted.
For a wine to be Champagne has to be made in the Champagne region of France. To turn a Champagne into a rosé, pinot noir and pinot Meunier are added through the saignée method and then finished using méthode champenoise. In this unique process, the second fermentation happens in the bottle. The outcome is a creamy, rich sparkler with fresh red berry notes, a hint of limestone, and an autolytic character — think brioche or toast.
Cava, produced in the Cava region of Spain, is also produced in the méthode champenoise. Because of this, it will have a similar mousse (texture of the bubbles) and an autolytic note. However, being by the sea gives Cava a bit of brininess or salinity. The grapes in a rosé can be garnacha, monastrell, pinot noir, and trepat, according to D.O. Cava. It has a creamy mouthfeel with bright, red berry fruit with jasmine flowers and savory herbal notes.
South African sparkling wines produced using méthode champenoise are referred to as Cap Classiques. Vinovest tells us that these wines are usually produced using the classic Champagne blend of pinot noir, chardonnay, and pinot Meunier, although winemakers are not beholden to that blend. Cellar Direct describes them as having aromas of orange blossom, lemon zest, toasted bread, and macadamias, with hints of lime on the palate. They will display zippy acidity and a delicate mousse.
Chilled bottles of sparkling rosé.
Vin Gris
Meaning "gray wine,", Vin gris is a pale pink rosé made using very little maceration time (the time the juice is left on the skins). Vin gris is fermented in stainless steel rather than oak so that the delicate flavors are not overpowered. It is typically made with pinot noir, gamay, or grenache, but it is not regulated to adhere to any specific varieties. This style originated in France but is made in many other regions.
Vin gris is not a style you will come across often as it isn't well-known in the United States yet. But, according to Matador Network, it is all the rage in Morrocco. Not only has it become a popular wine with consumers, but Moroccans are producing vin gris themselves. This demure style of rosé displays all the features rosé drinkers love, such as strawberry, peach, and watermelon flavors, fresh acidity, and a crisp, light body are all present — just toned down. Matador Network states that in Marrakech, vin gris is enjoyed alongside oysters or a bowl of harira, the local bean soup.
Vin gris rosé on a table.
Tavel
Tavel is on the opposite spectrum of vin gris. It is deep and brooding in color and anything but delicate in taste. As most French wines are denominated by region, Tavel is no different. Tavel comes from the Tavel region of France in the Southern Rhône area.
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