Types of Rosé Wine
Rosé wine, or rosado wine, is produced from red grapes, only using the white-wine method of production. What does this mean? It means that what distinguishes this type of wine is a decision the winemaker takes at the moment the red grapes arrive at the cellar. But before discovering the various types of rosé wine that exist, let us see how these wines came about.
The origin of rosé or rosado wine is bound forever to the origin of winemaking in Europe. In 600 BC, a group of Greek traders set out from the city of Phocaea (bringing wine in their baggage!) in search of better lands to settle. When they reached the region of Provence — specifically the bay of Marseille — they decided to settle there and began to import vines to make wine, which they then did in the most basic way possible.
They crushed the grapes to obtain their juice and let it ferment. It was in this way that they produced, through this process, the light red wines later nicknamed by the Romans “Vinum Clarum”.
Rosé or rosado wines were born from this method of production, which is still used today, though with two differences: the grapes used in the production of rosé or rosado wines are only red (with the exception of rosé or rosado wines from the Champagne region) and we now take advantage of technology, which naturally has changed a great deal.
Three Ways to Produce Rosé or Rosado Wines
Direct Pressing
In which the red grapes, when they arrive at the cellar, are immediately crushed (pressed) to obtain the juice, or must, as pale as possible. Since the colour of the grapes is in the skin, or film, the contact time between the pulp and the skin determines the intensity of the colour of the rosé or rosado wine.
Short Maceration (Curtimenta)
In which the red grapes, before being pressed, first spend a few hours in a vat where the juice, or must, remains in contact with the skins or films, and only after this time has passed do they go to the press to be crushed and the must obtained with a more or less intense colour, depending on the maceration, or curtimenta, time.
Sangria, from the French “Saignée”
In which, in this case, the rosé or rosado wine is a by-product of the red wine, since the first juice, or must, that runs off during the first hours of maceration (curtimenta) of the red wine is drawn off; that is, the vat where the red grapes are is “bled” (sangria), and this practice is intended to concentrate the colour, structure and flavour of the red wine.
Depending on the different ways of producing rosé or rosado wine, there are also countless variations within them. To simplify, we can group rosé or rosado wines into three broad families, in which the variation of colour in its different intensities is of overriding importance.
Dry Rosé Wine
Dry rosé wine, which can be placed in the category of light, fruity rosé, is characterised by its citrus aromas and crunchy red-fruit aromas, by the sense of freshness it leaves and by its simple structure. It is normally drunk young and has a pale pink colour. Our best example of this style of dry rosé is that of the French region of Provence. In Portugal, the best examples of dry rosé come from the cooler regions, whether maritime — such as the Lisboa region or the Vinhos Verdes region — or mountain regions at altitudes above 500 metres, such as the Douro or Beira Interior.
Soft Rosé Wine
Soft rosé wine, which can be placed in the category of fruity rosé and is medium-bodied, is normally characterised by a more intense colour and a medium body, with a rich nose dominated by aromas of riper fruit. These are tasty wines, accessible to everyone. They are normally drunk young and have a salmon-pink colour. A good example is the rosado wines of the Navarra region, in Spain. In Portugal, the best examples of soft rosé come from the warmer regions, such as the Tejo and the Alentejo, but also from regions of milder maritime influence, such as the Setúbal Peninsula and the Algarve.
Sweet Rosé Wine
Sweet rosé wine, which can be placed in the category of fruity and sweet rosé, is normally characterised by a residual sugar content and is generally off-dry or medium-sweet. These wines are characterised by notes of ripe fruit, are very smooth, and their colour and intensity can vary greatly, from salmon pink to ruby pink.
Sweet rosé wine ends up with residual sugar when fermentation is not allowed to finish and the sugars of the juice or must are not completely fermented, or through the addition of unfermented grape juice or must. There are examples of sweet rosé wine all over the world, the best known being our own Mateus Rosé, or the White Zinfandel produced by the large wineries of the United States of America.
From the page to the glass
- Cabo da Roca Guardião dos Oceanos Rosé — Copper-toned, pressed straight to tank, no oak.
- 1808 Blush Rosé — Touriga Nacional, whole-pressed, fermented in steel. Organic and vegan.
- Cascale Petroleiro Palhete em Talha — White and red varieties together in clay talha, sealed for eight months.
