| VIN-SIGHTS |

BY MARNIE OLD

Rosé can be a bit of a mystery . Labels rarely offer much information about how the style is made . Books and classes explain that pink wines come from red wine grapes as a rule , and give the impression that a brief period of “ skin contact ” is the controlling variable .

There is some truth to this , of course . Since color and flavor compounds concentrate in the skins of wine grapes — not in their pale , juicy flesh — the period of time these grape components spend together after the fruit is crushed does determine the intensity of color and flavor in the final wine .

But other variables can be more relevant to quality and style , but are rarely discussed . For instance : whether the grapes were grown specifically for rosé , or whether the period of skin contact takes place before or during fermentation . There are also some pink wines where a pink color is achieved by simply blending white and red wines , rather than by skin contact .

Marnie Old is one of the country ’ s leading wine educators . Formerly the director of wine studies for Manhattan ’ s French Culinary Institute , she is best known for her visually engaging books published by DK , such as Wine : A Tasting Course . Marnie currently serves as director of vinlightenment for Boisset Collection .

BRIEF SKIN CONTACT BEFORE FERMENTATION

Most of the classic still rosé wines — from the palest Provence rosé to the most vivid Tavel rosé — are made with variations on this method . The desired degree of color and flavor is extracted from the grape skins into the grape juice during a brief maceration , which takes place after grapes are crushed and before fermentation begins ( similar to the cold soak used making some reds ). Such wines are sometimes referred to as “ intentional rosés ,” because this method requires fruit harvested specifically for making rosé , usually early in the ripening process to maximize acidity and minimize alcohol content . The palest of these rosés — sometimes called “ vin gris ” or “ direct press ” rosés — rely only on the color imparted when fruit is pressed , and do not see any maceration at all .

BRIEF SKIN CONTACT DURING FERMENTATION

Most of the world ’ s affordable rosé wines are made differently , as a byproduct of the red winemaking process . Known as the “ saignée ” method , this technique involves proceeding as for making a red wine , by ripening grapes longer and allowing fermentation to begin after the grapes are crushed . But once sufficient color extraction has taken place to make the desired rosé — which could be anywhere from six to 48 hours — a portion of the tinted juice is “ bled ” off from the fermenter into a separate tank . From there , the pink juice completes fermentation on its own , as if it were an unoaked white wine . This method is popular and economical , because it has the side benefit of concentrating the remaining red wine . But such “ unintentional ” rosés can lack balance and refreshment , since the grapes are grown to red wine specs , not pink .

BLEND RED & WHITE AFTER FERMENTATION

Blending white and red to get pink is not the norm for still rosé wines , but is the primary way sparkling rosés are made . This is because the second fermentation needed for adding bubbles will also strip color from the base wine , leaving an unsatisfying brassy color if you try starting from a still rosé . Instead , sparkling winemakers have perfected the practice of making tiny amounts of a pale red wine designed specifically for tinting their bubblies at the dosage stage . Blending white and red wine to make still rosé is forbidden in Europe , and rarely practiced elsewhere , because some red wine components , like tannins , do not marry well with the crisp , juicy flavors that wine drinkers prize in more delicate rosé wines .

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