Methods for making rose wine. Rose wine: what is it made from, how is it drunk, serving technology Rose wine what is it called

An exhausting heat has suddenly arrived in the central part of Russia and, apparently, will not go away until the end of August. The main refreshing drink of this season is, perhaps, rose wine: ideally summer, unpretentious, light and always icy.

The secret of a good “rosé” is the ability to get into a kind of classless state, in every sense of the word. This is the art of being between categories - winemaking, gastronomic, social. The main thing to remember, no matter how much you drink: rose wine is not a mixture of white and red. The only rosés that are produced this way are the sparkling ones. All the rest are unfinished reds: shades of color are taken from the skin, the faster the grape juice is separated from the crushed berries, the less red the wine will be, up to almost transparent. As for the bouquet, quickly pressed grapes do not produce the same powerful aromas as in red (they also depend on the skin), but they cannot be called light either.

Because of this ostentatious flexibility, many view Rose with a slight mistrust, like a sophomore announcing her bisexuality on Facebook. To combat this reputation, over the last twenty years there has been a desperate attempt to make rosé expensive. Thanks to the efforts of, for example, the Château de Pibarnon estate or the winemaker with Russian roots, Sacha Lichine, it is now difficult for rosé to surprise at a price of a hundred euros per bottle.

Resort deception

Rose quenches thirst well; pink can be very cooled without fear that it will lose its “body”; pink goes with any food. Because of all this, rosé has become synonymous with resort life, and in its most classic form. For the last 150 years, Provence has diligently supplied the Côte d'Azur with its rosés; Languedoc rosés have been found there much less frequently, but no less have been drunk. And even before the start of the bourgeois resort boom, residents of the south of France knew everything about pink and made it for their own needs back in the Middle Ages. The Atlantic coast of the country did not lag behind in this sense, rather the opposite. The famous Bordeaux claret was originally a rose wine, and was drunk on both sides of the English Channel, especially during the times when Bordeaux was under British control. The wines of the Loire Valley, the most famous of them coming from Sancerre and Anjou, are a different story - they did not care about the experience of their neighbors, they aged their rosés in barrels without removing the sediment, which is why the wines turned out dense and very convincing.

The right places

France

Pinks from this country (and especially from Provence) continue to be the standard of style. “Grenache”, “Syrah”, “Mourvèdre”, “Carignan” - the main grape varieties for them - are not particularly elegant, but they behave well in combination with almost any appetizer.

Spain

Catalonia and the Basque Country don't count - the wine-making traditions there are almost French. In “real” Spain - in Rioja, Ribeira and Navarre - they make rosé from “garnacha”, which is the same as “grenache”. The first decent bottle of rosé you find on the shelf of the nearest store will most likely be Spanish.

Italy

The best rosés come from the “innocent” regions of the country. For example, in Umbria the only decent drink is pink cabernet sauvignon. There are no particularly outstanding rosés in the main wine regions of Italy.

California

White zinfandel - pink, despite its name - is often quite sweet and smells of a fruity, fruity base. If it were not for the high cost of transportation, the shelves of our stores would be littered with four-liter jars of this wine. A wine lover brought up on “Confession of a Sinner” would have received the “zines” with a bang.

Cold Blooded Murder

It is logical to assume that, in accordance with the native weather of the French south, rosé wine should be chilled as much as possible. But, as we already understood, all pinks are different - and cooling should be approached accordingly. Rosé Sancerre is more elegant and therefore should not be frozen to death, while very hard-frozen rosé Rioja may or may not reveal those very strawberry-raspberry aromas for which it is so loved. So it’s better not to get carried away and stay within 8-12 degrees Celsius - this will work for almost any pink.

How to cool yourself? Dropping bottles into the nearest body of water is a game with unpredictable results. Electric refrigerators are a solution to the problem, yes, but partly. There is also a cooling jacket with gel inside, which is put directly on the bottle, but this also needs to be cooled somewhere beforehand. Well, in the case of a large number of guests, you won’t be able to stock up on such shirts; this is more suitable for small picnic outfits. What remains is traditional ready-made ice, which should be stocked up in advance and in large quantities. And even if a piece of ice or two falls into the glass, it’s not the end of the world either. After all, there are people who put ice in rosé on purpose, and you shouldn't judge them too harshly. After all, initially pink is a simple wine, which means you need to drink it often, a lot and without undue reverence.

GQ's Pick: 5 Great Rose Wines

1

**M. Сhapoutier Beaurevoir Tavel 2010 **

Pure grenache, red copper in color, fruity and full-bodied, can cope with anything in the world - for example, with hot pies, even with meat, even with apples. He is not afraid even of gastronomic hardcore like Olivier salad.

2

"Abrau-Durso Imperial Сuvee Rosé brut"

Oddly enough, the only Russian rosé worthy of attention is sparkling; our quiet rosés are still impossible to drink. It is declared as an aperitif, but in fact it has more possibilities - it is textured enough to withstand the blow of any complex food, perhaps, except for desserts.

3

Domaines Ott Côtes De Provence Clos Mireille Rosé CŒur de Grain 2010

One of the brightest representatives of the new wave of Provencal pinks. In addition to the usual Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah varieties common in Provence, the wine also contains Cabernet Sauvignon. All the typical signs of classic “Provence”, but the volume of sensations is several times higher.

4

Muga Rioja 2010

One of the most elegant Spanish rosés, very French in spirit, despite the fact that the composition is entirely Spanish varieties. Fresh, with pale color, bitter-herbaceous notes and berry-fruity tones. However, quite laconic.

5

Jean-Max Roger Sanсerre Cuvée La Grande Dîmière 2009

The wine is pale copper in color, made from Pinot Noir, smells of apples and smoke, is fresh on the tongue, all the fruits like plums and cherries are successfully shifted somewhere in the aftertaste. Of all the roses, Sancerres are the most piercing and gastronomic.

Orange wine

A term sometimes applied to a wine made from white grapes using rosé techniques. Classic Georgian white and some Italian wines are made using this method.

What about a snack?

We have already realized that rose goes with everything and always, but there is still variability. The general logic here is this: the hotter the region the wine comes from, the more likely it is that the choice will lean towards food that is brighter in taste.

Provence

Bandol and other “Provence” go perfectly with fire-roasted vegetables and rich meat stew. The bitter-herbaceous notes of the bouquet can remain noticeable in any combination - even asparagus, which is deadly for most wines.

Spain and Italy

Deeply feminine in spirit, garnacha from Navarre is unthinkable without strawberry pie or cheesecake. The Italian ones play on approximately the same field, except for the powerful Sicilian rosés, which are more like pizza than sweets.

Laura Valley

How to choose the best rose wine: the main secrets. How to drink rose wine correctly. Countries and regions that produce the highest quality rosé wines.

What do you think can save you from the heat? A sip of ice-cold rosé! Most often, the desire to sip this thin drink occurs in May. As soon as the first truly warm days settle in the city, visitors to the open terraces, without saying a word, begin to order rosé, to which they were indifferent in other seasons. This is where the only immutable rule for serving it comes from: the wine needs strong cooling.

When heated above 10-13 degrees, rose wine loses its lightness and airiness and becomes completely inexpressive in taste.

The indifferent and sometimes wary attitude of the modern public has done rose wines an undoubted benefit. They ceased to be the subject of mass “worship” and consumption and for some period left the confines of cheap commerce. The production of “rosé” did not stop in such prestigious regions as Burgundy or Bordeaux, largely thanks to the winemakers who were faithful and devoted to this “genre”. It is likely that the same reason was reflected in the cost of rosé wines - they can hardly be called unreasonably expensive.

Rose wines in traditional cuisines

Of course, rosé is not only a relaxed and pleasant consolation on hot days. The features of the traditional cuisines of Northern Spain or, say, Southern France certainly include a menu of rose wines. Catalan grape snails, roasted in the oven and served with garlic aioli, are impossible to imagine with anything other than a glass of cold rosé. For the Spaniards, for example, rose wine is an indispensable addition to traditional paella, and some consider it an indispensable “attribute” for various fruit desserts. In Mediterranean cuisine, the use of rosé does not fit within the framework of certain rules; it is one of the most versatile wine drinks.

Rose wine production technology

Rose wine is produced using one of several methods. The most common and familiar is this: after passing through a crusher, red grapes are fermented for some time along with the skins, which is what gives the juice its pink color. The second method is characterized by a short period of infusion of grape juice on the skins, but before fermentation begins.

It is much easier to mix red and white wines, but this sad experience with numerous settlings and drains was prohibited, because it is impossible to obtain high-quality rosé using this method. The only exception may be champagne, where the reputation and significance of the variety itself seems to preclude a failure in quality.

The style of rosé wines is determined by berry and fruit aromas. Here it is necessary to focus on vivacity and freshness, and if the rosé glass does not have such properties, you should immediately complete the tasting process. Old rose wine is rare, unique, unless it is one of the rarest fortified or champagne wines.

The best rose wine producers

Let's find out where the real original rosé is produced?

• Burgundy. Only a few Burgundian winemakers, who are not spoiled by free areas for vineyards and surplus harvests, steadfastly maintain their devotion to rosé wines. One of the most worthy examples is the exquisite and subtle pink Marsannay.

• Bordeaux. There are many more excellent varieties of rose wine in this region. They are produced not only by local winemakers, but also by the owners of large commercial brands (pink Mouton Cadet), as well as small castles like Chateau Hostens-Picant and Chateau Malrome.

• Loire Valley. Rosé Anjou wines are generally not known for the intensity of flavor that is so characteristic of southern wines, and are often even more acidic. Some manufacturers are trying to change this situation by making semi-dry “rosé”, which perfectly quenches thirst and harmonizes perfectly with fish dishes. For fun, try the wine from the Chateau de Tigne, owned by Gerard Depardieu.

• Languedoc. The southern part is the region most abundant in rosé wines. Bandol and Tavel, Languedoc and Roussillon produce many varieties of rosé wines. A clear example is Domaines Ott from Bandol.

• Spain. In this country, rosé wine is an absolute favorite, and it is produced by almost every major company in Rioja or Penedes. The author of the most popular wine encyclopedia, Oz Clarke, unwittingly provoked increased interest in pink wine in . So, in Navarre he was proclaimed almost the best in the world.

• Portugal. At one time, the famous rose wine Mateus surpassed the famous Portuguese port in success and popularity, and even broke records for export and sales volume. And although the traditional drink in Portugal has returned to its position, rose wines are still in favor there.

• New World. Rosé wines in Argentina, Chile, California and many other places are specific and colorful (both in taste and color). The most honorable place, perhaps, among them can be assigned to the delicate Chilean Santa Digna from Miguel Torres.

What rosé wine do you prefer and how did you learn to choose it?

There have been times in human history when rosé enjoyed particular success. For example, pink Tavel from the Rhone Valley was considered the favorite drink of King Philip IV the Fair. This wine was also very popular in Versailles under Louis XIV. It is also worth remembering the “pink madness” that swept the United States in the late 1970s and lasted for several years. Then the Americans became obsessed with blush wine. It was pale pink in color and was made from zinfandel, a red grape. Then several more similar wines appeared - white grenage, pinot noir and merlot. However, later the time of oblivion came - mostly low-quality drinks, flavored with a fair amount of sugar, were on sale. Rosé became a “second class” wine. Fortunately, the situation has changed and pink has come back into fashion. The romantic drink is now produced in all wine countries of the world.

Capricious technologies

The quality, taste and aroma of rose wine depend on the method of its production. Many producers do it very simply - just as an artist dilutes red paint with white to get a pink tint, so they mix different colors of wine. But in some countries it is prohibited to make a romantic drink in this way - high-quality rosé should be made only from red grapes. There are two production methods. In the first case, it is obtained by reducing the time of contact of grape juice with the skin, because it contains coloring and aromatic substances that, during fermentation, pass into the wine, giving it an intense shade and aroma. The second method is called in medical terms “bloodletting.” This rosé is a by-product of the production of red: when the winemaker wants to get a drink of a more saturated color, he drains a small amount of liquid from the fermentation tank with juice and crushed berries. It is from this “removed” part after fermentation that rose wine is obtained.

French password

French rose wines are considered the most famous and, probably, the highest quality. But don’t rush to take the first bottle from France you come across from the store shelf - you can buy a fake. First, look for the word rose on the label - it means that the container contains pink. Secondly, find the “password” of any high-quality French wine - the inscription Appellation... controle. The ellipsis should be replaced by the name of the appellation - a region (or even one vineyard) with special soil, microclimate and other conditions ideal for the production of a particular drink. For example, Tavel rosé wine will say Appellation Tavel controle - it costs from 900 rubles. per bottle. A drink from neighboring Lirac will cost you about the same. True, among experts Tavel is considered better, but you need to be careful with it - a beautiful wine with a slight orange tint of onion skin is so powerful and insidious that it can knock even a man off his feet. Pink Lirak is more fruity and delicate. The same can be said about wines from the Loire Valley, which are made from cabernet grapes: Cabernet d'Anjou, from 400 rubles and Cabernet de Saumur, from 350 rubles. . These are feminine drinks – fragrant with strawberries, slightly sweet, and the “sugar content” in them is completely natural, because these wines are considered semi-dry.

However, the southern regions of France, Provence and Languedoc, are considered the “small homeland” of pinks, where to this day they are produced more than red and white ones. Rosé here can be both excellent and mediocre, so experts advise: to figure it out, you just have to try it. This is what many do when visiting the Cote d'Azur, where rosé flows like a river in the summer heat. The most famous rosé of Provence - Bandol (price from 600 rubles) has a bright hue and a fruity aroma. You can recognize this and other local wines by their unusual bottle, shaped like a skittle: such vessels are used only in this region, but some producers also produce wine in classic glassware. Languedoc also has its own “stars” - sweet rosé Banyuls and Rivesaltes, priced from 1,000 rubles. These are high-quality wines with a rich aroma and taste of berries, dried fruits, honey, vanilla, and almonds.

Pink Spain

Real rosado (as rosé wines are called in Spain) are different from French ones (however, they can sometimes be called rose in French). They are drier, often stronger and more brutal, so women need to be careful with them.

Good rosados ​​(price from 400 rubles) are obtained from the red Tempranillo variety in Rioja - this is the appellation and name of the wine. However, there is no French Appellation ... controle on Spanish bottles - in addition to the word rosado on the label, you need to look for local passwords: Denominacion de Origen Calificada for wines from Rioja and simply Denominacion de Origen (name of origin) for drinks from other regions. Above these phrases, indicated on the label in small print, the name of the appellation itself is printed a little larger - Rioja, Penedes, Ribera del Duero, and so on.

If a bottle of Spanish rosé is not marked with a password stamp, it is quite possible that it contains not the best quality wine. Experts even suspect that some local table rosés are made using the painters’ method – mixing white and red drinks.

Blush is not a whim

The Americans brought their weighty word into the world of pink wine - this is blush, which in Russian is best translated as “pinkish”. The drink is made from the most popular local variety, Zinfandel, which is why it is often called White Zinfandel (price from 300 rubles). The wine is light and pale, due to the fact that the skins of the grapes are almost immediately separated from the juice. Such drinks are extremely popular in the USA, and unlike European rosés, they compete quite successfully with whites and reds in competitions and tastings. Perhaps this is due to the taste and color preferences of Americans, because local wines are no better than rosés from Europe. However, California also produces rosé-style drinks. They are somewhat similar to the French ones from the Rhone Valley and are not pale in color, but rich, bright pink.

"Young" wines

Young wine powers (Chile, Australia, Argentina) are powerfully pressing European and American producers, but still the war is going on mainly on the red and white fronts. In France, the production of rosé is sanctified by tradition and strictly regulated by laws, but in new empires everything is possible. They produce wonderful roses and “compotes” of white and red. Since the appellation system is not as clear as in Europe, distinguishing a quality wine from a bad one is much more difficult. Therefore, the main principle of choice is trial and error. Buy drinks based on personal experience. In addition, pay attention to the way they are made, however, this technique does not always work: unfortunately, it is rarely indicated on the label. If you have favorite red and white wines from Chile or Australia, look who makes them: there is a chance that the manufacturer also produces a good rosé. This rule works even better in a negative field. If you come across low-quality wine, remember the manufacturer and its supplier to Russia and never buy a similar product again.

Expert opinion

Vladimir Tsapelik, President of the Independent Wine Club

Rose wines are super fashionable in the world right now. Almost the only exception is Russia: they are not very popular here yet. But I strongly advise you to try them now, because they can change a lot soon. The European Union is discussing a new law on rose wines, which could simply destroy them. He will allow them to be made not only from red grapes, but also by mixing white and red materials. You can't make good rosé this way. If such a law is finally adopted, mostly low-quality pink drinks will be delivered to us.

How to drink rose wines

• Only cool. For an aperitif, the wine is cooled to 8-10°C, for consumption with food - to 10-12°C.
• For a long time, they drank pink ones “the Russian way” - swallowing them in one fell swoop, almost like vodka. This was due to the fact that the taste of the drinks was not very good. Now they are starting to drink them, like any other quality wines, in small sips, savoring and enjoying the taste and aroma. The best new rosés also have a finish. But old wines often lacked this - the best of them created a pleasant strawberry or raspberry “attack” in the mouth, and then the taste quickly faded.
• Most rose wines go well with any food - berry and fruit dishes, red and white meat, fish, seafood, pates. They can accompany your meal from start to finish. True, it is better if the feast is summer, because these drinks are primarily intended for the warm season.
• It is advisable to drink rosés young – within two years after bottling. There are rare exceptions such as Bandol, which is usually consumed later, when the wine has acquired the color of onion skins.

Stars about rose wine

Real wine is expensive, which is why most consumers don’t even know what it tastes like. The usual cheap stuff that is on the shelves of any supermarket is made artificially, with a small content of natural raw materials.

Definition

In scientific terms, wine is a drink with an alcohol content of no more than 22% vol. It is obtained as a result of partial (interrupted) or complete fermentation of the juice. Wine can be fruit or grape, depending on the raw materials used - grapes or other berries and fruits. Moreover, depending on the area where the source material was collected, production can be carried out in various ways. The traditions and rules of a particular territory leave their mark both in the technology and in the taste of the drink.

• Use only high-quality grape varieties. It could be: Merlot, Jalita, Matrasa, Saperavi, Cabernet Sauvignon or Odessa black.
• Red varieties must be squeezed very carefully; seeds and branches should not be allowed to get into the juice.
• Leave the berry peel in the finished wort for a short period of time, after which it is removed from there, or use the “bleeding” method. That is, take ready-made juice obtained from making red wine.

This will give the future drink a beautiful pink color.

Also, some manufacturers resort to the mixing method. The pink color is obtained by creating a blend of ready-made white and red wines. But this production technology is not permitted in all states.

Method for making rose wine

To get a real and tasty drink, it is important to adhere to a clear and consistent technique for making it. Let's look at how wine is made step by step:

1. Grape harvest

Here you need to pay special attention to the degree of ripeness of the berries. In addition, the grapes must be clean. Collection is often carried out manually, and less often special mechanical equipment is used.

2. Sorting and receiving raw materials

The harvest is brought to wine warehouses, where it is placed in special containers. The mechanism is designed in the form of a funnel; it crushes the berries and separates them from the ridges.

3. Crushing

Special devices break the skin of the fruit to extract the maximum amount of juice from them.

4. Fermentation and maceration

The must combines and interacts with the solid particles of the grapes. The latter contain strong aromatic and coloring substances. The longer the fermentation and maceration, the richer the flavor and darker the color. For table wine, 3-4 days are enough; for high-quality wine, more than 20 days are needed.

5. First fermentation (alcoholic)

Water phase. The sugars contained in grapes are converted into alcohol by yeast over 4-10 days. The required temperature is +20 0 C. Bentonite is added.

6. Pressing and decuvage (depending on the type of wine)

After draining the liquid, the pulp is removed and pressed from the vat. This is necessary to obtain self-flowing wine.

7. Second fermentation (malolactic)

Carried out only when necessary. Lactobacilli are used to convert malic acid into lactic acid, reducing the acidity of the drink and changing its taste.

8. Sulfitation

Sulfur is used to clarify the wort and delay its oxidation. It is necessary to strictly maintain and observe proportions and technology.

The production of rose wine is carried out using a mixed technology for the production of white and red. A slightly modified sequence may be used for compressed or drained beverages.

The best rose wines

Italian ones are considered the most popular and in demand, and they began to be produced here earlier than elsewhere. The recipe and features of making rose wines have been preserved and improved for centuries. In addition, it is in France and Italy that you can find grape varieties that are not found in any other state.

The laws of these countries regarding the production and sale of wine are quite strict and harsh. This provides an additional guarantee of the quality and naturalness of the drink.

French rose wines

Today, the sun drink is popular all over the world. Residents of all countries know and love rose wine. France is a country that occupies a special place among other producers. Almost all of its regions are engaged in the creation of wine.

Provence deserves special attention. The first large-scale wine production began here, and it remains the leading French region in our time. The production of pink drink in Provence is carried out from the grape varieties Cinsault, Grenache and Mourvèdre, the characteristic differences of which are light notes of strawberry in the taste.

The most famous brands of pink drink are also produced in Anjou and Travel.

Travel is a small village in the Rhone Valley. Its peculiarity is that only 9 varieties of grapes are grown here and only rose wines are produced. Anjou is a region that produces the classic rose-colored drink.

Moreover, the latter is famous for such famous types of wine as:

Semi-dry “Rosé d'Anjou”. Slightly watery, without a strong aroma or pronounced taste.

Semi-dry “Cabernet d'Anjou”. The aroma contains strawberry shades.

Dry pink wine “Rosé de Loire”, with a refreshing aroma and delicate aftertaste.

A wonderful drink is made throughout France. No less famous are the wines found in Champagne and Sancerre, not to mention the familiar Bordeaux and Marsanne.

Spanish and Italian wines

For the rosé drink in these temperamental countries, Tempranillo and Garnacha grape varieties are used. Here the wine is called "rosado". Unlike soft French rosé, it contains more alcohol, and its taste is more brutal and pronounced.

- “Aston Martin” - Prince Charles's car runs on biofuel. Its peculiarity is that this fuel is extracted from wine.

The drink of the sun is now produced all over the world. All continents, except Antarctica, are engaged in its production. Noble, refreshing, invigorating, it will be an excellent option for any event, be it a romantic evening or a business conversation, a family dinner or a friendly meeting.

Wine was, is and will always be relevant, in any place and at any time.

Rose wine is not as popular as white or red wine, at least not yet. Nevertheless, experts say that it harmoniously combines the most excellent qualities of both. In addition, rose wine has one undoubted advantage over its “brothers” - it is universal. In other words, a glass of rose wine can be served with almost any dish without fear of making a mistake.

Brief historical background

Some may be surprised, but rose wine appeared before champagne. His homeland, of course, is France, or more precisely Provence. The first historical information about its production dates back to the 14th century.

The Roman popes, who at one time lived in Avignon, were very fond of Tavel - the local rose wine. Returning to Rome, they continued the habit of drinking rosé, thus promoting the production of this wine in Italy.

The Duke of Provence Rene of Anjou (15th century), having settled in his declining years in his Provencal possessions, also paid tribute to the local wild rose-colored wine.

He liked the light taste of the drink, and the Duke ordered the production of rose in Provence. The French poet Pierre Ronsard and the writer Honore de Balzac, who lived at different times, also highly valued rosé for its unusual color and taste with light fruity notes.

In the 17th century, rose wine became so popular that the volume of its exports to England and the Netherlands could be compared with the famous Bordeaux and champagne.

A few words about technology

Although the bunches of grapes from which wine is made may seem inconspicuous in appearance, winemakers value something completely different in them, namely acidity, sugar content and the finest aroma.

Rose is produced in several ways. The most common is temporary maceration, that is, the process of reacting red grape juice (must) with grape skins for several hours. During this time, the future drink acquires its distinctive pink color, and at the same time is saturated with polyphenols beneficial to our health.

The maceration is interrupted when the wort reaches the desired shade of pink. After this, the grape skins are removed, the wine is poured into another tank, where it undergoes the fermentation process to the end.

Using this or similar technology, rose wine is produced in many countries. First of all, in France, where Provence alone accounts for a third of the world's rosé production.

Rose wine producers

Most often, rosé wines are made from a mixture of several varieties, but there are also single-varietal wines. You can find out about this by looking at the label. If the grape variety is not indicated on it, then this wine is a blend of several varieties.

In France, the Loire Valley produces the famous semi-sweet pink wine “Cabernet d’Anjou” from the Cabernet Sauvignon variety. The same producer Domaine de Chenay produces dry wine “Rosé de Loire” from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Gamay and the dark local grape variety Grollo as the main one in the mixture.

Of course, France is not the only country that produces rosé. Spain, Italy and Portugal have also been producing rosé wines for a long time, and among the “young” producers we can name the USA, Argentina, Australia and Chile. However, decent roses are also produced in Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.

For example, pink table wines “Aguna”, “Mtatsminda”, “Sachino” are produced in Georgia by GVS, “Teliani Valley” and “Savane” companies, respectively. The Moldavian company "Purcari", which has won more than 40 awards at international winemaking competitions, produces dry rose wine "Purcari Rose".

All shades of pink

The popularity of rose wine in the world is not least due to its tonic and refreshing properties. Compared to white roses, it has more valuable biologically active substances, and compared to red ones, it has a wider color palette.

The classification developed in Europe identifies eight types of rosé wines, differing in shades. The main ones are raspberry, flesh-colored and onion-hued roses. Although there are more than a dozen of them on the lists of experienced sommeliers (wine selection consultants).

Experts say that by the shade of a wine, without opening the bottle, you can determine how pronounced its aroma will be. For example, rosé, a soft pink hue that is classified as the color of onion skins, has a delicate aroma of fresh red berries. In general, the richer the color of the wine, the more expressive its aroma will be.

To the table and to dessert

All wines, regardless of color, are divided into table and dessert. The former can be dry and semi-sweet; they are served with main courses. Desserts contain a high percentage of sugar, so they are ideally suited to complete a meal, which, in fact, follows from their name.

Rose wines can be used as table or dessert wines. The Italian region of Salento, known for its long wine-making traditions, produces dry rosé with a distinctive taste.

For example, the raw material for semi-dry wine “Calafuria” (produced by Tormaresca) is the black grape variety Negroamaro. This is what gives the rose “Calafuria” its characteristic harsh, but at the same time balanced, fresh taste.

The famous semi-sweet wine “Mateus” has been produced in Portugal since the 40s of the last century by Sogrape Vinhos. It is distinguished by a sweetish soft taste with a barely noticeable floral aroma.

California, home to almost 90% of the United States wine industry, also produces famous rosé wines based on the Zinfandel variety. For example, a sweet rosé “Carlo Rossi, Pink Moscato” (producer Gallo Family Vineyards) with a predominant taste of juicy fruit is perfect for dessert.

Legendary Massandra

More than a hundred years ago, in the Crimea, in the small town of Massandra, an underground tunnel-type winery was built, the first in the Russian Empire. Since then, all Massandra wines have been produced exclusively from their own grapes and only using classical winemaking technologies, that is, without the use of sugar or chemical additives.

The plant's assortment includes almost all main classes of wines: dry, strong, semi-sweet, liqueur, dessert. Over its history, the Massandra plant has received more than 200 awards at international competitions for the high quality of its products, delicate aroma and unique bouquet of wines produced.

Among them there are, of course, pink ones: sweet, semi-sweet and liqueur, made from the pink Muscat grape variety. The name of the variety is present on all rose labels produced by the Massandra winery: rose wine “Muscat Massandra semi-sweet”, “Muscat pink dessert”, sweet wine “Muscat pink Massandra”.

The vintage “Yuzhnoberezhny Pink Muscat” is very popular among consumers. This sweet pink wine has been produced since 1944 and has been awarded gold and silver medals for its delicate, harmonious taste with a hint of tea rose. Before reaching our table, Muscat Yuzhnoberezhny is aged at the factory in oak barrels for two years.

How to choose a rose

First of all, you need to decide for yourself what kind of rose wine you want to buy: table or dessert. Then select your preferred country of manufacture. Next, pay attention to the position of the bottles on the display case.

Experts say wine should be stored horizontally. In this position, the cork does not dry out, therefore, air does not enter the bottle, the wine does not oxidize, thereby maintaining its quality.

In wine-producing countries, wine is cheap, but in our country, given the high customs duties, the price of imported wines is noticeably higher. Therefore, frankly inexpensive foreign drinks should alert the consumer.

The best rosé wines “live” 2-3 years, most only 1 year. After this, the rose loses its inherent freshness. This is due to the low content of tannins in it.

Wine etiquette

Unfortunately, not all of us are well versed in wines, not knowing which dish to serve this or that drink with. If you're afraid of getting into trouble, buy rose wine. The names and country of production are not so important, since rosé is a universal wine.

In other words, it goes well with cheese, fruits, meats, appetizers, fish, desserts and other dishes. Due to its refreshing taste, rose is recommended to be served chilled as an aperitif. In addition, rose wine will be appropriate at a festive dinner, at a picnic, at a friendly party, and also as a good gift for the woman you love.