Wine lovers are in the pink.
Actually, they're downing a spectrum of rose-colored glasses, from blushing slightly to near-tomato red, juicing up sales and production of the versatile, refreshing stuff.
"It's very easy to drink ... and affordable," said Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan, author of the just-published "Rose Wine: The Guide to Drinking Pink" (Sterling Epicure). "And it has panache."
That beyond-the-bottle appeal stems in part from the much-coveted, often-elusive celebrity-and-pop culture factor.
Stars either producing or promoting rose include actors Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and Drew Barrymore; directors Sofia Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola; and rappers Wiz Khalifa and Rick Ross.
"It's pretty easy to sell," said Jacqueline Malenda, owner of Madiran, the East Setauket wine bar. "The drier and lighter, the happier the people are."
POPULARITY
Rose wines imported from Provence have a decadelong upward arc. Exports to the United States jumped 47 percent from 2015 to 2016, according to the Wines of Provence Council, an organization of producers and trading companies. Chateau d'Esclans' and Domaines Ott's roses are high-demand Provencal bottles.
In 2016, 11.5 million liters of rose were imported from Provence, compared with 158,000 liters in 2001. That translates into a stunning rise of 7,165 percent.
But rose is made in numerous styles. It's defined by the region where the grapes grow, what grapes are used, what method of production is used.
At Channing Daughters, where roses account for about a third of the winery's 16,000 cases, winemaker-partner James Christopher Tracy's roses have an Italian accent and suggest a palette of pinks and oranges.
"While they're all dry wines," Tracy said, "we love to celebrate the differences."
Rose wines are made with a single grape or, primarily, blends of grapes. The type of grape or the blend will determine color and aroma.
TASTES AND STYLES
Pale, lighter rose may be made with grapes from thinner-skinned pinot gris to pinot noir; darker and richer ones, from thicker-skinned grapes such as cabernet sauvignon and syrah, according to Jennifer Simonetti-Bryan. Local factors from climate to vineyard soil also significantly define the result. If, for example, the temperature is higher, the fruit will be ripe; if it's cooler, more acidic.
Roses generally may range from the "blush" variety, or off-dry to sweet; to the crisp and refreshing; the fruit-forward; and the more rich and complex.
Blush wines take in white zinfandel, such as the lower-alcohol, pale pink Sutter Home, popular in the mid-1970s through the late 1980s. White zinfandel is made with zinfandel, a red grape, and has minimal contact with the skins. Moscato and rosado roses, and the first wave of postwar roses, such as Mateus and Lancers from Portugal, are sweeter than Provencal rose. Croft even has made a pink Port. On Long Island, Pindar Vineyards in Peconic has long had semi-dry Summer Blush in the repertoire.
They've sold well. But as more Provencal roses entered the United States, tastes began to change. The drier Provencals are very adaptable, working as aperitif, sipper and with many cuisines. Palates often go from sweet to dry, too. Couple that with rose's unusual versatility and general likability. Rose never makes the demands of, for example, a tannic red wine or a very oaky white. Moreover, while consumption of chilled roses rise in spring and summer, dry roses often are poured from January to December.
The drier style includes the Wolffer Estate roses. And there are the fruitier Italian rosatos and Spanish rosados; crisp gamay, pinot gris, and pinot noir wine, which deliver more acidity and floral qualities; and the lusher roses, among them Tavel rose from the Rhone Valley, Bandol from Provence, and some roses from the United States and Latin America.
Sparkling roses are increasingly popular, too. Rose Champagne is made by great houses such as Krug, Taittinger, Veuve Clicquot, and Moet & Chandon, producer of Dom Perignon rose. Sparkling rose wine is produced successfully on the West Coast by Roederer Estate, Domaine Carneros and Schramsberg; locally by Wolffer Estate, Channing Daughters, Croteaux and, of course, Sparkling Pointe in Southold. For a sweeter sparkling rose, consider brachetto, such as Banfi Rosa Regale.
HOW IT'S MADE
Different methods yield rose. Typically, red grapes are either pressed or crushed, destemmed, and go into the fermentation tank and macerate. The skins have comparatively brief contact with the juice, so that wine will be pale. The longer the skin steeps in the grape juice, the deeper the hue. And the flavors will be fruitier, the wine weightier. "Saignee," or "bled," refers to a method in which liquid is taken from the tank, increasing the alcohol content and thereby extracting more color and taste from the skins. It yields concentrated, rich wines. Tavel rose and saignee roses are at one end of the spectrum, pink moscato and white zinfandel at the other.
Sniff a few different roses, and note that they may not smell alike and won't taste the same, either. Aromas and flavors may range from fruity to floral, herbaceous to earthy. The fruitiness is in the aroma. The nose senses more than the tongue can taste. Higher alcohol wines may deliver more bitterness and some heat; less alcohol, the opposite. Roses may have less alcohol than many reds or whites. So, they're generally easy to drink and make no demands on the palate. Whether you drink sweet or dry wines isn't the issue. It's what you enjoy that counts.
ROSE AND FOOD
Regardless of process and grape, country of origin or type of wine, rose is all-purpose and adaptable. For some imbibers, it's strictly a sipper, an aperitif. But rose is a many-sided wine with food.
Try one at a picnic, a lobster boil, with barbecue, turkey and trimmings, countless salads; Indian, Mexican, spicy Thai cuisine. They're all fine with rose, which may either contrast or complement the fare. Not surprisingly, a Provencal rose goes with fish soups such as bourride and bouillabaisse, a Nicoise salad, and grilled fish; and an Italian rosato pairs well with prosciutto, Parmesan cheese and tomato-based dishes and sauces.
But uncork a chardonnay with fettuccine Alfredo.
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