One of the most exciting things about producing wine is having fun playing with the product in the winery before it becomes the final product. For those who are unaware, the colour of your wine comes from the skins of the grapes once they are picked from the vines and crushed. Its pretty simple really…. The longer you leave the crushed skins floating around in your grape juice, the more colour you will extract into your juice… and wallah you have red or pink wine!
Now we all know most Aussies LOVE a red wine… but what about PINK wine? There seems to be a real stigma against pink wine, more formally known as Rosé. However, it is important to note that ‘the times, they are a changin’, which for those of us who produce a delicious Rosé is very exciting indeed!
A common misconception of Rosé is that it is always sickly sweet. This, my friends, is not the case! Many Aussie producers are now working to create a delicious savory, dry style of Rosé that is just as refreshing on a hot day as an icy cold beer! This dry style of Rosé is inspired by the Rosé wines that come out of the South of France, where it is all about the rich & famous sipping delicious wines by the sea or while hanging out on their private yachts. In fact, Rosé is a more popular wine of choice in this part of France than white wine in the Summer months!
Another misconception is the colour. Many people believe that the darker the pink colour, the sweeter the wine, also not the case anymore! Producers are now playing with a whole bunch of different grape varieties when producing Rosé to “spice it up a bit”. The traditional varieties such as Pinot Noir give off a slightly lighter pink colour, whereas varieties of red grapes such as Shiraz or Cabernet will often give a deeper shade of pink in some cases. But as mentioned earlier it all depends on how long you leave the juice in contact with the skins! Therefor, if you were aiming to make a lighter coloured pink wine, you would remove the juice from the skins within in a few hours. So, in actual fact, the colour has nothing to do with the sweetness of the wine!
In the past Pink wine, as it commonly referred to, has always been a drink for the ladies. But I am here to tell you that many a man has been pleasantly surprised by how refreshing and satisfying a good savory Rosé is, opting to drink this style of “red” wine in the warmer months. It also pairs with a wide variety of foods, making it a great option as a ‘drink now’ wine to take to your next dinner party or BBQ!
So there you have it… It’s OK to drink PINK, man or woman, sweet or savory! Once again, it’s all about what tantalizes your taste buds. But I leave you with this challenge… if you have never given Rosé a go before, do yourself a favour and jump on board the Rosé Revolution. I think you too might be pleasantly surprised!