A guide for beginners on the philosophy and culture of drinking rose wine.
1. First and foremost: there is nothing shameful in that you prefer pink wine.
Pink wine, in comparison with its red and white relatives, is still subjected to ridiculous criticism from snobs and wine amateurs. Haters of pink wine either:
a) are sufficiently conservative and ignorant to think that "pink only for girls", or
b) those who had the imprudence of trying at a young and impressionable age the wine of White Zinfandel, in the reduction of White Zin, (a sweet, sugar parody of pink wine, released in mass production and popular enough in the 1970s in California) or pink André in fact its soda with the taste of champagne). Of course, there is a rose wine of poor quality, but this is not insured by any beverage.
2. A mixture of red and white wine is not a rose wine.
The technology for the production of most of the rose wine is that the black grapes are lightly ground and soaked for some time in their own skin (from several hours to several days), after which the juice is separated from the cake (this is called wort) and poured over the tanks.
The longer the skin of the grapes remains in wine, the darker the rose wine becomes.
... and so his taste becomes deeper and bitter, approaching red wine. After all, the way of producing red wine is similar. Black grapes are white inside, and therefore it produces a light juice, so this wine can be made of any color. The time during which the peel will stay in the juice, and determines the color of the wine: white, pink or red.
3. Pink wine can be made anywhere in the world and almost from any grapes.
The production of rose wine is not tied to either the grape variety or the region of origin; it's just a kind of wine, the same as red and white. The largest producers are France, Spain (where it is called "rosado"), Italy ("rosato"), and the United States of America. Also, excellent wine can be found among the wines of South America (Chile, Uruguay), Germany, Australia and many other corners of the world.
Most pink wines are a mixture of several varieties of grapes. Here are some of the most common grape varieties that are used in dry / pink European wine: Grenache, Sangiovese, Syrah, Murvedr, Carignan, Senso and Pinot Noir.
4. With pink wine only this way: the younger it is, the more fresh, the more harmonious the taste.
Pink wine, unlike red and Helen Mirren, does not improve over the years - leave the idea of keeping it in the basement for half a century. There is nothing shameful in drinking drink with the indication of last year on the label. Do not drink (and, most likely, you will not find) a wine dated earlier than two or three years ago.
5. The most important question to ask when buying a rose wine: "Is it DRY?"
Dry = not sweet. This is what you need: a wine that has a fresh taste with sourness, without excess of sugar, which breaks the mineral / fruity / and in general any taste and aroma. Remember that originally pink wine was notorious for the fault of the super sweet wine "White zinfandel" ("white zinfandel") and his brothers, who appeared in mass production.
Due to the fact that so many different kinds of rose wine are produced all over the world, the question of choosing a dry or sweet wine is much more important than its country of origin. But, if you feel completely confused at a wine store, here's the general rule:
PINK WINE MOTHERLAND FROM OLD LIGHT (Europe) = WILL BE MORE DRY
PINK WINE FROM THE NEW LIGHT (from any other point of the world) = THERE WILL BE LESS THAN DRY
Although there are a lot of exceptions to this rule (California rose wine can be super-thin and super-dry, and some European wines have a higher level of sugar), but the above method can be useful enough to determine in a wine store, staying in complete confusion.
In case of doubt, choose France - especially in Provence.
France is the birthplace of traditional dry rosé wine (rosé - as the name suggests) and it is very difficult to get trapped by choosing wine from Provence, for example, the Rhone Valley or the Laura Valley. Provencal pink wine (from southern France) is usually very pale pink, sometimes salmon-colored. When tasting, most often heard notes of strawberries, raspberries and citrus. If you want to find similar wine in stores, use the following instructions. There are several names (official names that certify that the wine was made in a particular region in accordance with specific requirements) in Provence. You will immediately know where this wine comes from, if you see one of the following names on the bottle label:
- Côtes de Provence
- Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence
- Bandol
- Cassis
- Coteaux Varois
A great option if you do not like French wine, choose your choice on the Spanish rosados pink wine. It tends to be a little bit tartier and more saturated than its French relative, with a deeper pink color and a fruity aftertaste that go well with meat. In addition, it is less raspiarennoe and, as a consequence, will cost you less.
6. You should not pay more than $ 15 per bottle.
Pink wine is peculiar to be inexpensive, especially if you draw an analogy with the red. These wines are young compared to those that "mature" for a long time, and are relatively cheap in production. Rose wine is still not appreciated in the US because of its relatively affordable price compared to other French wine imports, which are quite expensive for American consumers. You will find many worthy options in the price range of $ 10-15 (or even cheaper if you are in a regular market). And if you decide to ruin the wine from the top shelf, do not overpay more than $ 25 or $ 30 per bottle.
7. You can, or rather, you should drink it on a barbecue.
Attempts to tie wine to a specific food is an annoying cliche (from the category, how to tie a ketchup to a burger), but in the case of pink wine this is not quite so. It is universal because it is between red and white wine - less saturated than the deep, astringent, astringent taste of red wine, but at the same time with greater depth than super-light white wines.
This successful intermediate flavor bouquet (as well as the fact that different kinds of pink wine cover a wide range of tastes from bright and piquant to darker and more saturated) makes it almost always possible to find a drink to taste that will suit what you eat - be it fish, vegetables, chicken, grilled steak, potato chips or chocolate chip cookies. Just make sure that you have given him enough time to cool down before drinking (just as you would do with white wine).
This wine is not only ideal for barbecue, beach and picnic, but it is also perfect for sitting around the TV.
8. You can, or rather you should use it in making cocktails.
Rose wine is ideal for mixing. It is inexpensive (so you will not feel guilty if it fails), it fits well with all kinds of fruit and carbonated drinks and looks damn good in a glass. A few ideas:
- Pink wine cocktail with basil and lemonade (Basil Lemonade Rosé Cocktail)
- Rose wine with soda and strawberries (Strawberry Rosé Spritzer)
- Black rose (blackberry, lime and punch from pink wine) (Black Rose)
Excellent! You are officially ready for the opening of the season with pink wine.
Do not be lazy and go to the liquor store to try any wine you like; you can always ask someone to help you choose "dry pink wine to $ 15."