Rosé wines are enjoying great success among consumers because they are very versatile, pairing well with both fish and white meats.
They are obtained from red wine varietals (such as Syrah, Lagrein, Zinfandel, Grenache, Salice and others) with a production process that minimizes the maceration time in contact with the grape skins. In this way, the amount of tannins and red coloring substances contained in the grape skin and transferred to the wine is reduced compared to that of a traditional red wine. In addition, rosé wines can in some cases undergo barrel-aging, which further enriches them with tannins and tertiary aromas due to the wood barrel.
From an olfactory point of view, both for the aromas perceived by the nose and those perceived retro-nasally in the mouth, rosé wine recalls hints of both red wine and white wine. This makes it a unique type of wine. When compared with a white wine rosé can have the same aromas of tropical fruit, herbs and grapefruit/orange, while it usually has less floral, white fruit and lemon scents. Compared with a red wine it maintains the aromas of red fruit and rose flower, while it has less intense hints of black and earthy fruit.
Since a white wine does not have aromas of red fruit and a red wine does not have aromas of tropical fruit or citrus, the aromatic bouquet of rosé is unique and recognizable: if you smell a combination of red fruit (for example cherry, raspberry, strawberry, pomegranate), and either tropical fruit (for example pineapple, melon, peach) or citrus fruit (orange), then you are most likely tasting a rosé wine.
In food pairings, rosé can be considered halfway point between a white wine and a red wine. For its medium-structured body, it can in fact be used as an alternative to a structured white wine or a light red wine. It is also a wine that can be drunk both chilled as a white wine, and at room temperature if you want to drink it as an alternative to a light red. The combination of aromas described above make it different and captivating compared to traditional whites and reds.
Here are some examples of pairings with food:
With fish. It is more suitable with crustaceans which, due to their succulence, fattiness and sweet tendency, require wines with some structure. If you want to combine a rosé with fish (for example cod, sea bass, trout, ...) it is advisable to choose a "fresh" one (with good acidity), a light body and low alcohol content and to serve it cold.
With meat. It is suitable for white meats while it risks being too poorly structured to go well with sausages or red meats.
With cheese. It is more suitable for delicate and young cheeses, while it risks losing personality if combined with very aged, flavorfull or spicy cheeses.
TasterPlace's aromas include those of rosé wines as well. In the Red Wine Aromas collection you will find cherry, strawberry, raspberry and rose. In the White Wine Aromas collection you will find examples of tropical fruit (pineapple), citrus fruit (grapefruit) and minerals (chalk).
Being able to recognize the aromas in a wine's bouquet makes the tasting experience more gratifying and allows you to choose wine to drink with more awareness. By training yourself to recognize TasterPlace aromas blindly, it will be easier to identify them, in their much more subtle forms, in the wines you go on to taste.
Happy workout!
Click here to discover the TasterPlace Red Wine and White Wine Aromas.