In Defense of “Pink” Wine
“Oh, come on. You guys have to be kidding me.” My terse comment was in response to the wrinkled noses and sideways glances that accompanied the offer, one recent balmy Sunday afternoon, “Now, who would like a glass of rosé?”
“I don’t like sweet wine,” said one friend. Another quipped, “Yeah, I mean, White Zinfandel? Who wants to drink red and white wine mixed together?” Oh man, I thought. These people are in trouble. They need help. Good thing for them, I’m a “pink” wine fanatic.
FIRST OFF, rosé wines are not all sweet. The vast majority produced today are bone dry, crisp and refreshing—the kind of wine you want to drink right out of the fridge on a hot summer day, accompanied by oysters or grilled salmon or a fresh green salad. It’s the kind of wine Mom would love (hint: Mother’s Day is coming!) – light bodied and dry, yet with juicy fruit flavors of red berries and even (sometimes) watermelon Jolly Ranchers. Rosé wine is hip, youthful and fun to drink (and yes, ladies and gents, it’s pink)—attributes that compliment our Boomer moms—and their moms, too.
SECONDLY, White Zinfandel is NOT a mixture of red and white wine. Zinfandel grapes are the third most popular varietal in the United States. White Zinfandel was originally produced using a centuries-old technique called the “saignée” method—when winemakers were pressing Zinfandel grapes to produce red wine, they would pour off a quantity of the juice and set it aside. The remaining juice sat with all of the Zinfandel skins, resulting in a stronger, more tannic red Zinfandel (think of it as a wine “reduction”). The juice that was poured off (remember, my friends, ALL grape juice is CLEAR, even juice from red grape varietals) only briefly touched the grape skins, picking up just a hint of color. Since this wine was not fermented with the grape skins, the resulting wine was light pink and low in tannins. Hence, White Zinfandel was born.
White Zinfandel suffers from a horrendous reputation for a very good reason—for decades, beginning in the mid-1970s, wineries like Sutter Home produced a sickly-sweet rosé that was actually a mistake. Their wine suffered from “stuck fermentation”, a problem that occurs when the yeast in a wine dies before eating up all of the residual sugar (leaving sugar in the wine). Instead of chucking it, the winery decided they liked the resulting taste (in the same way that Americans like ketchup, Coca-Cola and Hershey’s chocolate), labeled the wine White Zinfandel, and went on to promote and sell millions and millions of cases of the stuff. In short, White Zinfandel is the primary reason why none of my friends (or their cousins) will go anywhere near a “pink” wine today.
BUT did you know that people have been drinking amazing, fabulous, dry-not-sweet rosé wines for hundreds and hundreds of years? Germany isn’t just famous for Riesling—for more than 500 years, they have been producing rosé wines from Pinot Noir grapes (in Germany, Pinot Noir is called Spätburgunder). The same holds true for France, where pink wines made from the noble Cabernet France grape have been produced by Loire Valley winemakers for centuries. Today it is Provence that produces the most notable and popular rosé wines, primarily made from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and Carignan grapes. But Italy, Spain and even Portugal are getting in on the action—and with delicious results.
So come on, give “pink” wine a chance. Check out these excellent examples of rosé wine, and surprise yourself and your friends with a light, red wine, perfectly suited to the coming summer months.
P.S. (postscript): While it is forbidden in many wine-producing countries, pink wine CAN be produced by blending a red and white wine together. Our above-mentioned friends at Sutter Home currently export a wine called “Ménage à Trois”, which is a blend of Gewürztraminer, Merlot and Syrah. There is some debate currently circulating among EU winemakers as to whether this kind of wine should be allowed to be called rosé, as it is not produced using traditional winemaking methods. While the jury is still out, use your power as a consumer to help the lawmakers decide!
About this Author:
Jacqueline Lombard, aka “The Green Gourmet”, is an accomplished chef, sommelier and entrepreneur. She edits the Dining Section of The New York Herald. Her online home is jacquelinelombard.com
The Review: A Bed of Rosés by Jacqueline Lombard.
Photo Credit: DKImages.com
