We are head over the heels for Rosé at Direct Wine Cellars right now! We find it the perfect 'go to' wine, particularly the dry Provence rosé's from France. I find it a huge phenomenon when we are in Europe but Australian's are a little slow to the party. I'm happy to say I've been seeing more and more people buying Rosé at the bottle shops but I still get funny looks from people when I recommend Rosé. So, here is a list of reasons why you SHOULD be drinking Rosé
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First and Foremost - Mixing White and Red doesn't make Rosé
Don't laugh. I have seen one too many occasions when someone has asked their partner for a glass of rosé, the partner goes to the bar, orders a red wine and a white wine and pours them together. *facepalm* This is not Rosé!! it's made by red grapes being lightly crushed and left to sit with/on the skins for a while (sometimes a few hours, sometimes a few days). When the winemaker is happy, the juice is strained from the skin before being fermented in the tank.
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There are different shades of Pink!
The longer the grape skins are left on, the darker shade of pink the wine with have.
I love this image from WineFolly as it shows the different 'pinks' based on the different grape varieties. I prefer the Salmon coloured Rosé so it's all Pinot Noir and Merlots for me!
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You can get a really good bottle sub-$20AUD!
Truthfully, Rosé is probably the most undervalued and under appreciated wines in Australia. It is also relatively fast and cheap to make so there aren't huge pricetags on many Rosé's...of course there are always exceptions but you can be certain a bottle under $20 is still going to taste delicious!
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With Rosé the newest vintage is the freshest wine
Rosé doesn't improve with age. There is no need to cellar your pink delights, simply enjoy the freshest vintages in any situation!
Don't drink anything over 3 years old...it just won't do it for you.
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Pink does not necessarily mean Sweet! Old World Rosé is usually dry - if in doubt, buy Provence!
One of the most annoying yet most common question we get asked when presenting rosé is whether it's sweet. I do not know where the preconception about pink meaning sweet came from as many rosé's from the Old World are quite dry. Yes, Australian's are familiar with Pink Moscato and Yellowglen Pink which are both sweet but thankfully, that's not the extent of what we have available here.
The simple way to know whether a Rosé is sweet or dry is to ask whether it's from the Old World or New World. Old World is generally dry (and tend to have delicious, refreshing strawberry, raspberry and citrus characters) and the New World produces sweeter varieties (think American Pink Zinfandel or Australian Moscato).
You can always check the labelling too. A wine labelled 'off dry' will be a tad sweeter than a general or 'sec' Rosé. Anything sweet will usually tell you it is sweet in the description as well. I always find the Salmon coloured wines to be dryer than the 'reddier'-pink varieties.
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It's great with a BBQ
To us, Rosés can be the most food friendly varieties out there. Particularly in our hot, Aussie summers, when the BBQ is blazing, I find Rosé more subtle and easy to drink then a Red in the heat..yet they have a bit more gusto than whites. It creates a delightful medium which goes remarkable well with Fish, Chicken, Steak, Veggies, Fruit, Cake, anything really! Rosé is perfect for the beach, a bbq, a Friday night in...any reason really!
Also, because they aren't too expensive, you can make beautiful cocktails with them. Add a bit of fruit, some other spirits and Bobs your uncle!
Ready to give Rosé a try? Check out the Sensi 18k Pinot Noir Rosé Sparkling to add more Fizz in your life or if you prefer something still, the Painted Wolf Rosalind Pinotage rosé is super dry and fantastic! Both are sub-$20!