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Rosé!

Rosé

 

This is the perfect time of year to enjoy a very special kind of wine… Rosé.  A typically misunderstood wine, rosé receives heavy flack on account of its “girly” pink color and freakishly sweet soda-like champagne brands like André enjoyed by young twenty-somethings. Despite this, rosé is actually very complex with varying methods and techniques to create the wine. Another common misconception is that rosé is a sweet wine however, it actually has a broad range of flavors.  This is the perfect wine to enjoy in summertime either with BBQ, as a cocktail, or by itself as a cooling, refreshing beverage!  So read on and find out more about some of the most enjoyable wines out there!

The biggest mistake people often make when thinking about rosé wine is that it is actually not made by combining red and white wine. There are actually several ways to produce rosé wines and each produce different colors and intensity in the wine.

The most common method is the maceration method, which is when red grapes are crushed and left to sit in their skins. The longer the juice sits, the darker the wine will be. Typically in red wines, maceration happens during the whole fermentation process, however with rosé wine, the fermentation only begins after the skins, called “must”, are strained from the juice.

Vin gris, which means “grey wine” in French is a traditional way of making a rosé wine and is when the wine is made from red, typically Pinot Noir, grapes but with white wine making techniques. This results in a rosé that is very clear and with only a tinge of pink, like a pale salmon.

This differentiates greatly from the final winemaking technique, called Saignée, which produces some of the best-aging rosés as well as the darkest and most tannic. In this method, a certain amount of juice is extracted, or bled off, from red wine during its fermentation. This is a common practice with most winemakers as it increases the skin to remaining juice ratio in the leftover fermenting wine, producing a richer, bolder red wine. The juice that has been extracted is called “Saignée”, meaning bled, and is fermented into a rosé wine.

 

http://winefolly.com/tutorial/wine-for-beginners-infographic/

 

Blush, pink, rosé, there are many ways to describe this particular kind of wine, which actually ranges all shades of pink, depending on which grape or grapes are blended into the wine. The paler salmon coloring usually comes from Pinot Noir, Carignan and Zinfandel and tastes of mint, grapefruit and strawberries. Deeper pink rosés, made from Merlot, Grenache and Sangiovese taste of sweet cherries, raspberries and blood oranges while the darkest rosés, made from Cabernet or Tempranillo, will taste jammy and of blackberries. Aside from fruit, rosés will also have herbal notes, especially if they are Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon, or Syrah based. So whether you want a sweet white Zinfandel or a savory French-style blend, this wine has every flavor on the spectrum to please every customer!

 

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Agur Rosa 2013 : Kosher

Variety:  70% Cabernet Franc, 20% Mourvèdre, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

ABV: 13%

Vinification: The Cabernet Sauvignon and Mourvèdre are extracted by a free-run drain in the saignée method while the Cabernet Franc was gently pressed directly after crushing. Each batch is fermented separately in old barrels.

Palate: A unique full bodied Rosé de Barrique. Flower and herb aromas, fresh tart strawberry, apricots, red grapefruit, with a long sweet aftertaste. Good company for an eclectic variety of dishes, and on its own. Serve chilled.

 

Ein Teina Rosé 2012

Variety: Grenache, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Gvartz, Alicante, Rocher Vigonier, Muscat, Petit Verdot.

ABV: 13.5%

Vinification: The wine is composed of a variety of nine different red & white grapes, handpicked from vineyards in the southern Golan Heights.  It was cold fermented in stainless steel tanks.

Palate: The wine offers up an aroma of new fruit, followed by a delicious gentle mouth feel. It stays lively and refreshing through the finish.

 
Shvo Rosé 2012

Variety: Barbera

ABV: 12.5%

Vinification: An organic rosé

Palate: On the nose, lovely fresh strawberries without a hint of candy. On the palate, gushing with acidity, a bit of prickly pear and lots of ripe red fruits on the mouth. It's not syrupy and feels full bodied but not heavy on the tongue. Enjoy it alone as a summer refresher or with pizza, pasta, veggies and other flavorful dishes.