Is rosé wine a (good) wine?
Why is rosé not wine?
Unfortunately rosé wine is not a mixture of red wine and white wine as so many people like to believe... It is indeed a "real" wine like the others
What is a Rosé wine?
Rosé wine plays spoilsport between red wine and white wine, sometimes criticized or even not considered a real wine, in a certain way, rosé is more like a state of mind or a way of living. As in all styles of wine, we find examples more in the register of health products but also very pretty bottles, worked with care and which brighten up our summer evenings.
So how exactly is it done ? Rosé occurs when the skins of red grapes touch the wine for only a short time. Where some red wines ferment for weeks on red grape skins, rosé wines are colored red for only a few hours.
The winemaker has power over the color of the wine and removes the grape skins (the source of the red pigments ) when the wine reaches the color it wishes to convey.
How is rosé wine made?
Rosé wine can be made in many different ways and the method depends on the winemaker's philosophy and the winemaking equipment available. There are 3 main ways to make rosé:
Maceration – this often involves skin contact with the red grapes where there is a slight crushing so that the juice and skins bathe together (called maceration) giving a certain color to the juice. This may take from a few hours to a few days. The shorter the time, the lighter the color.
Saignée method - Saignée rosé is obtained from a harvest placed in vats, as for maceration rosé, but intended to produce red wine. After a few hours of maceration, part of the juice contained in the tank is released and which has already taken on a pinkish tint, for the vinify separately. The rest of the harvest is left in the initial vat to produce red wine.
Blending – sometimes a rosé can be made by blending red and white wine grapes. This is not as common as it once was, but it is a technique used in the 1980s by some winemakers across Australia. It is also found in the production of rosé champagne, resulting from a clever blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier juice.
Is rosé good for your health?
Researchers have studied wine to try to uncover its health benefits. They discovered that the skins of grapes contain resveratrol . Resveratrol levels in red wines are highest, while white wines contain much less. Rosé is somewhere between the two.
Resveratrol is an antioxidant , and although scientists aren't sure how the compound works, it tends to lower the risk of heart disease and inflammation. It is also present in blueberries and cocoa.
What do we eat with rosé wine?
The best rosé is known for its versatility, especially dry styles that have nice acidity to pair with different types of foods. It is an excellent pairing with Spanish dishes like tapas or paella, Asian dishes like sushi or a shrimp bo bun which will go very well with Pipoli Rosato del Basilicate rosé but also with antipasti, ceviche of fish, a beef carpaccio with basil or cheeses.
