April showers bring May flowers…winter has lost its tight grip on us, but summer is not quite here to bask in all its sunny glory. This brings us to rosé, a wine that is not white, but is also not all red. Not sure what dishes your friends are serving for their Final Four or Kentucky Derby barbecue? Bring a rosé. Know the crowd has professed to only drink white wines, but know in your heart they can come around to your red wine ways? Introduce them to rosé.

Rosé wine is created by crushing the grapes and not allowing them to sit on the skins for very long. This limited interaction between the crushed grapes and their skins results in a wine that can be anything from a very pale pink to a very light red. Rosé, typically, is not aged for long and is meant to be drank within 2-3 years (or less) of release. Also, rosé is a style, not a varietal. Thus, you can have a Rosé of Syrah or Rosé of Grenache, which will give the same fruit expressions found in their fully red counterparts. In some circumstances, a rosé will be named after the region it is from, such as Tavel Rosé from France.

Now, you are in the wine department, looking for a rosé and come across all these wines that are labelled Vin Rose, Blush, White Zinfandel, White Merlot, etc., and it all becomes a blur. With many of the aforementioned wines, they can be cloyingly sweet and are better used for making sangria or a spritzer.  Look for a rosé from the Provence region of France, which is the original home of rosé.  From there, take another trip around the globe to see what does and doesn’t appeal to you.  If there is a red wine that your friends love and you have had a hard time appreciating it try finding it in rosé style and see if it grows on you!

Cheers!

Chris & Becky Hawkins

Thanks @Chris_Mortensen for the sweet picture!