The Rise of Rosé
The Rise of Rosé
Posted on: Sept. 12, 2016
If you haven’t enjoyed a good Rosé wine recently, you could be missing out on discovering all there is to appreciate in today’s world of wine. The production of Rosé wine is said to be the oldest style of winemaking in the world. In its truest form, Rosé is made from red wine grapes that do not spend much (if any) time soaking with the skins after crushing the grapes; soaking the juice with the skins imparts the darker hues red wines achieve.
The reputation of Rosé wine was seriously sullied in the last few decades of the 20th century. The stigma attached to drinking Rosé wine was led by the oft-maligned White Zinfandel, as well as the sweet, unbalanced gallon jug wines. But wine drinkers who have associated today’s Rosé wines with these blasts from the past are becoming fewer and fewer. Today, we are trending toward high quality Rosé wines that are dry, light, crisp, and refreshing, and some even share the complexities found in fine red wines.
This will mark the tenth year in a row that, across the globe and in our own nation, sales of Rosé wine are blasting off the charts, showing a 20 percent increase in this time. Sales of Rosé have jumped 250 percent in England, and 750 percent in Sweden.
There are some very good reasons for this surge in sales. First off, a really good Rosé is typically less than $20 per bottle. It’s an ideal wine for picnics, around the pool, or toting to the beach. And matching Rosé wines with food is a breeze. They complement all sorts of cheeses, appetizers, fruits (apple, pear, watermelon, strawberry, figs), composed salads, Chinese food, spicy foods, and sushi.
In reinforcing this movement, Hollywood celebrities are getting into the act. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are producing a beautiful Rosé from Southern France called Miraval. Drew Barrymore is also producing a fine Rosé with her Barrymore Wines label.
Riedel, the esteemed crystal stemware producer, now has a wine glass made specifically to enhance the fragrance and tastes of Rosé wine. Some wine producers have even resorted to making elaborate package designs, including beautifully shaped bottles and labels, targeted specifically to emphasize reinvigorated quality and the prestige of the wine. There are a half-dozen Rosé wines fetching over $1100 a bottle!
Finally, men in the U.S., Brazil, Russia, and Australia are embracing Rosé in what is being dubbed the “Bro-sé” phenomenon. To discover a variety of leading Rosé wines, visit The WineSellar & Brasserie. 858.450.9557, winesellar.com Gary Parker
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