Everyone (yes, everyone) loves a nice patio-pounder pink wine and yay, we’re finally heading into rose season. In case you want to break away from the super popular dry style roses from Provence, the biddies list out some other body styles and regions to try from this year.

Listen:

Sources:

Study Notes:

*Please note some of these lines might be directly taken from sources noted above.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF ROSE

  • There are more details in Episode #7
  •  Basic means of making rose is just allowing the skins of red grapes to make contact with the juice but only for a limited amount of time. 3 basic methods:
    • Direct press: Pressing the bunches directly (either whole or stripped), without macerating them first. In this case, they are pressed very slowly, giving the skins time to leach a light, delicately rosy colour into the juice. The liquid is then immediately put into fermentation.
    • Saignee: During the first few hours of making a red wine where some of the juice is bled off and put into a new vat to marke rose
    • Blending: A little bit of red wine is added to a vat of white wine to make rose

TRYING NEW THINGS

Light, Dry Roses

  • Provence: these are light, high acid roses typically made with Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Carignan
  • Corsica, similarly light and refreshing, grapes favored Nielluccio, Grenache, Sciacerello and Vermentino
  • Pinot Noir-based roses from Burgundy
  • Bardolino Chiaretto (Italy): Merlot, Corvina, Rondinella from Veneto
    • This wine has a strong personality, offering notes of raspberries and blackcurrants with grassy undertones that are mirrored harmoniously in the mouth. On the palate, it is delicate and balanced with stuctured acidity and a lingering sweet almond finish.

Light, Off Dry Roses

  • Loire: d’Anjou roses use cab franc – can be a deeper red
  • Txakoli – Txakolina rose (75% Hondarrabi Beltza (40 to 50 year old vines) and 25% Hondarrabi Zuri)
  • California – making all sorts of roses. Favored regions are Santa Ynez Valley and Ballard Canyon

Medium-Bodied Dry Roses

  • Rhone Valley: made primarily from Grenache and Cinsault, tend to be fuller bodied
  • Piedmont – rosato made with nebbiolo or freisa
  • Spanish Roses from Rioja

Elegant, Fruity Roses

  • Bandol, from Provence 
  • Merlot-based roses from Bordeaux

Full-Bodied Roses

  • Cerasuolo Rose d’Abruzzo
  • Syrah and Cabernet based roses from Chile, CA and Australia

PAIRINGS

  • Sweeter roses can do really well with spicy food
  • Light Provence style roses pair sort of like a Pinot Grigio
  • Notably your fuller-flavored vintage rose champagne goes well with game like pigeon, pheasant or grouse
  • Medium-dry roses good for BBQs

KARA WINE: THE WITHERS EL DORADO ROSE

  • Rhone varietals (Grenache and Mouvedre, and Counoise) grown in the Sierra Foothills and Mendocino County
  • “Bandol-inspired”
  • Winemaker Tasting Notes: This Bandol style dry Rosé wine oðers up beautiful citrus and stone fruits, highlighted by cherry, nectarine and peach flavors, buttressed by strong balancing acidity. The medium bodied frame is layered and textured, evolving and integrating with time and air. Balanced and elegant, this wine is best served at or slightly above cellar temperature.