ROSÉ All May! What are you sipping?

Week One | Provence & Sud de France

Join Alison Kent of The Home Kitchen and me, Good Wine Gal as we explore the world of Rosé Wines throughout the Month of May. Follow us here, on Facebook and Instagram for more on this 5-week Series!

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Rosé All May! I'm Alison. This is a 5-week journey that I decided to share with all of YOU curious wine enthusiasts!!. I’m not a huge fan of White Wines - perhaps I just haven’t found the right one (Blanche Toute Août?!), so Rosé has quickly become my summertime go-to. BUT I find I can be disappointed opening a nicely chilled bottle if it’s too watery (no distinguishable flavors), or too sweet. I decided it was time to approach this SCIENTIFICALLY-ish by taste-testing as many Rosés as I could handle in May, preparing me with a fantastic short list for summer sipping that will surely never disappoint!

My knowledge of wine in general is pretty limited, and I use ‘regular people’ words to describe my experience. This isn’t necessarily going to give someone knowledge to discern their own preferences, so I invited Barb Wild of Good Wine Gal to lend a professional palate, ear and tone to my May Rosé journey. She was quite happy to ‘sip in’ with a Sommelier's palate. 

Rosé (Rosato (Italian), Rosado (Spanish)) does not come from pink grapes, which is too bad. Can you imagine how ADORABLE pink grapes would be?! It would blow the collective Instagrams mind. In fact, ALL grapes’ juice is clear’ish. Color comes from the skins of  grapes and is proportional to the  contact with the grape skins for a period of time. Rosés are  no different although the majority of Rosés see short sessions of skin contact.

GOOD WINE GAL

When Alison invited me to taste and write with her, I was excited. When have I ever said no to wine tasting? It’s great to meet you and thank you for joining us on our five week adventure. Here are a couple of things that you might want to know about Rosé. 

Did you know? 
Rosé is considered the oldest wine in France. It is a “vin de soif” -  a “wine to quench thirst” and traditionally served as an aperitif. Jacques Pepin said he started sipping Rosé when he was six years old. To that end, not all Rosés are created equally. Quality Rosé has to do with the way it is made.  To learn more about Rose at Vins de Provence.

ROSÉ WINE MAKING

1. Limited skin contact, which is mentioned above, refers to juice that is left with skins for a short period of time resulting in a light onion-skin color. The longer the wine remains on the skins, the deeper the color and the tannin. 
2. The second method is direct pressing in which the red berries are pressed and the skins are removed once the color has reached the desired hue
3. The third method is called Saignée simply means to bleed. It refers to the pressing of grapes with the letting of juice that is lightly colored. This is usually the case when making red wine and the winemaker would like to concentrate the juice of the red - so he lets off lightly colored juice which becomes Rosé.
4. The fourth method is the blending of red and white grapes. When speaking of quality Rosés from Spain or France generally direct pressing, limited skin contact or saignee is preferred.
   

Super boring right? If anything stays with you, I hope it’s the idea that all Rosés are not created equally.

The Grapes

The key grape varieties are Cinsault and Grenache for the most traditional style of Rosé from Provence and the south of France. Today there are some very serious winemakers producing Rosé from these grapes adding Syrah, Mourvedre, Tibouren, Rolle and creating bigger, more powerful styles that are pricey, collectible and in some instances age-worthy. It’a a Rosé Révolution!

THE GRAPES

1. Cinsault - thick skinned black grape from south of France considered one of the oldest, usually has perfume notes of red fruits, with a body similar to pinot noir and acidity for  freshness
   
2. Grenache - black skinned grape from south of France (famous in the Rhone Valley for Chateauneuf du Pape wines) that have lighter color, berry flavours usually bringing alcohol to the blend
   
3. Syrah - a black skinned grape noted for its deeply colored skins,  black berry and pepper spice flavours and aromas. In Aussie this is Shiraz. It likes the heat in the south of France but can also produce elegant medium bodied age worthy wines in the Northern Rhone.
   
4. Mourvedre - a black skinned grape noted for its density and power so usually added to bring complexity to the blend.
   

FUN FACTS from Good Wine Gal

Mateus Rosé was the first international rose success story and is still available in our market’s for $9.99 a bottle. Definitely off dry.

Remember White Zinfandel or the 90s? That was a sweet ‘blush’ wine made by Sutter Home which put this style of wine on the map in North America was in fact a sweet mistake. Beringer White Zinfandel is available at the BC Liquor Stores for $8.99.

WHAT WE’RE TASTING

1. Lorgeril L’Orangerie Rosé 2019; $16.99 CAD; Pays d’Oc, France; 12.5% ALC; Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah, Merlot
2. Laurent Miguel Vendanges Nocturnes Rosé 2019; $19.99 CAD; Sud de France, France; 12.5% ALC; Cinsault, Syrah
3. Perins et Fils Miraval Rosé 2020; $28.99 CAD; Côtes de Provence, France; 13% ALC; Cinsault, Syrah, Grenache & Folle
   

OUR TASTING NOTES

L’Orangerie 

A> I honestly couldn’t quite distinguish a lot of scent or flavor from this wine, and didn’t have an opportunity to try it with food. I didn’t find much of the pleasant acidity I was looking for.
B> Dry light body with a soft salmon hue in the glass. The aromas and flavours are delicate, some red berry fruits and citrus juice notes, mineral. There is bright acidity that leads to a zesty but short finish.  For $16.99 this is good value for a patio, simple cheese and crackers and lighter fare.

Laurent Miquel Vendages Nocturnes

A > A very fresh, light aroma from the first glass. Dry, clean flavor with no real distinct ‘notes’. Would need to be a sipping wine, go with VERY mild food, or be enjoyed as a palate cleanser with salty meats and cheese. The further I dive into this one, the more I enjoy it though.
B> Dry light body, beautiful delicate hue of salmon, along with delicate non specific aromas and flavours although I pick up a little tart unripe cherry. Nice acidity and  good balance with a short finish. For $19.99 it’s good value for this easy sipper. Suits an afternoon patio or aperitif before dinner. It will go nicely with crackers and simple, mild cheeses.

Miraval (Brangelina Rosé)

A> Smells dry, yet flavorful out of the bottle - which is gorgeous, btw! Quite sweet on the tongue for my liking, with some acidity lingering at the end of the sip. BUT with our Thai Curried Crab?! It sang. By the end of a glass (yes, I tasted by the actual glass - don’t judge me), it really grew on me in connection with food.
B> Dry med body, bright salmon pink hue in the glass with aromas and flavours of red fruit (green strawberry, red currants, crunchy cranberry) hints of roses, orange melon, along with green dried herbs. There is a distinct tartness on the finish that reminds me of lime pithe. This Rosé has a round silky  mouthfeel. This is a fairly complex Rosé. At $28.99 it has more flavour, texture than the previous two styles and could stand up to a meatier fish, fowl and stronger cheese pairing.

Do you have a favorite Rosé?

We asked a few friends from here in Vancouver and around the Globe to share with us their favorite Rosé. So wonderful to see the responses.

Chef Attilio Borra, Milan, Italy
(@iloveitaliancooking_ IG + CH + www.iloveitaliancooking.com)
My favorite italian rosè is the one produces in the PUGLIA regioni, the hill of the boot. the rapes are the ones of the Negramaro, Primitivo, and Aglianico wine and because of the soil and temperature it can reach a 14 proof. This is the region where I was born, and my grand father used to have few acres where he produced his rosè wine, and I always remember when I used to go and help him cut the grapes and watch as he brought them into the factory to get the wine produced. Wonderful memories, unforgettable.

Kami (A super cool gal)
Joie de Vie - a Sparkling Rosé. It’s sooooo gorgeous. I fell in love with it at Bufala Restaurant (Kerrisdale), and then my best friend got married and we had it while we were getting ready. To me, it’s really celebratory and makes me think of special days.

Please leave us your comments below.

n Want to know more about wine tasting and finding ‘Good Wine’? Check out these Instagram TV LIVE’s I did with Good Wine Gal Barb Wild!

 1st video https://youtu.be/bUKrJtO50xg>
 2nd video https://youtu.be/hwWZFjqX0-A>

AND don’t miss out on Good Wine Gal’s Online Wine Sessions. Reserve your spot and join the Good Wine Gal community. I know I’ve been learning a LOT about wine, and I’m sure you’ll love them.

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