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Yes way, rosé: the rise of rose wine, how it's made, plus food pairing suggestions

Peter Gianotti

Rose pairs well with pasta, seafood and picnic fare.
Rose pairs well with pasta, seafood and picnic fare.William Meppem

Wine lovers are in the pink. Actually, they're downing a spectrum of rose-coloured glasses, from blushing slightly to near-tomato red, juicing up sales and production of the versatile, refreshing stuff.

"It's very easy to drink ... and affordable," said Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan, author of Rosé Wine: The Guide to Drinking Pink. "And it has panache."

Rose ranges from blush pink to rich lipstick reds.
Rose ranges from blush pink to rich lipstick reds.Julian Kingma
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That beyond-the-bottle appeal stems in part from the much-coveted, often-elusive celebrity-and-pop culture factor.

Stars either producing or promoting rosé include actors Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Drew Barrymore; directors Sofia Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola; and rappers Wiz Khalifa and Rick Ross.

Popularity

Frose (frozen rose) was the drink of the summer.
Frose (frozen rose) was the drink of the summer.Kristoffer Paulsen

Rosé wines imported from Provence have a decade-long upward arc. Exports to the United States jumped 47 per cent from 2015 to 2016, according to the Wines of Provence Council, an organisation of producers and trading companies. Chateau d'Esclans' and Domaines Ott's rosés are high-demand Provencal bottles.

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In 2016, 11.5 million litres of rosé were imported from Provence, compared with 158,000 litres in 2001. That translates into a stunning rise of 7,165 per cent.

But rosé is made in numerous styles. It's defined by the region where the grapes grow, what grapes are used, what method of production is used.

Rosé wines are made with a single grape or, primarily, blends of grapes. The type of grape or the blend will determine colour and aroma.

Tastes and styles

Pale, lighter rosé may be made with grapes from thinner-skinned pinot gris to pinot noir; darker and richer ones, from thicker-skinned grapes such as cabernet sauvignon and syrah, according to Simonetti-Bryan. Local factors from climate to vineyard soil also significantly define the result. If, for example, the temperature is higher, the fruit will be ripe; if it's cooler, more acidic.

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Rosés generally may range from the "blush" variety, or off-dry to sweet; to the crisp and refreshing; the fruit-forward; and the more rich and complex.

Blush wines take in white zinfandel. White zinfandel is made with zinfandel, a red grape, and has minimal contact with the skins. Moscato and rosado rosés, and the first wave of post-war rosés, such as Mateus and Lancers from Portugal, are sweeter than Provencal rosé. Croft even has made a pink Port.

But as more Provencal rosés were exported, tastes began to change. The drier Provencals are very adaptable, working as aperitif, sipper and with many cuisines. Palates often go from sweet to dry, too. Couple that with rosé's unusual versatility and general likeability. Rosé never makes the demands of, for example, a tannic red wine or a very oaky white. Moreover, while consumption of chilled rosés rise in spring and summer, dry rosés often are poured from January to December.

And there are the fruitier Italian rosatos and Spanish rosados; crisp gamay, pinot gris, and pinot noir wine, which deliver more acidity and floral qualities; and the lusher rosés, among them Tavel rosé from the Rhone Valley, Bandol from Provence, and some rosés from the United States and Latin America.

Sparkling rosés are increasingly popular, too. Rosé champagne is made by great houses such as Krug, Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot, and Moet & Chandon, producer of Dom Perignon rosé. For a sweeter sparkling rosé, consider brachetto, such as Banfi Rosa Regale.

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How it's made

Different methods yield rosé. Typically, red grapes are either pressed or crushed, de-stemmed, and go into the fermentation tank and macerate. The skins have comparatively brief contact with the juice, so that wine will be pale. The longer the skin steeps in the grape juice, the deeper the hue. And the flavours will be fruitier, the wine weightier. "Saignee," or "bled," refers to a method in which liquid is taken from the tank, increasing the alcohol content and thereby extracting more colour and taste from the skins. It yields concentrated, rich wines. Tavel rosé and saignee rosés are at one end of the spectrum, pink moscato and white zinfandel at the other.

Sniff a few different rosés, and note that they may not smell alike and won't taste the same, either. Aromas and flavours may range from fruity to floral, herbaceous to earthy. The fruitiness is in the aroma. The nose senses more than the tongue can taste. Higher alcohol wines may deliver more bitterness and some heat; less alcohol, the opposite. Rosés may have less alcohol than many reds or whites. So, they're generally easy to drink and make no demands on the palate. Whether you drink sweet or dry wines isn't the issue. It's what you enjoy that counts.

Pair Provencal rosé with Neil Perry's Provencal chicken
Pair Provencal rosé with Neil Perry's Provencal chicken William Meppem

Rosé and food

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Regardless of process and grape, country of origin or type of wine, rosé is all-purpose and adaptable. For some imbibers, it's strictly a sipper, an aperitif. But rosé is a many-sided wine with food.

Try one at a picnic, a seafood boil, with barbecue, turkey and trimmings, countless salads; Indian, Mexican, spicy Thai cuisine. They're all fine with rosé, which may either contrast or complement the fare. Not surprisingly, a Provencal rosé goes with fish soups such as bourride and bouillabaisse, a Nicoise salad, and grilled fish; and an Italian rosato pairs well with prosciutto, parmesan cheese and tomato-based dishes and sauces.

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