Rose Wine

Guide Note

Rose Wine is a pink colored table wine made from red grapes whose skins are typically removed after the start of fermentation.

Fast Facts

1. AKA: Blush Wine
2. Generally served chilled
3. Popular beverage in the summertime
4. Can be sweet, dry, dark or light
5. Ready to drink early and not aged
6. Often made into a sparkling wine
7. Notable regions: California, France, Spain

Though the skins are generally removed before fermentation to create most rose wines, a few other less common methods exist. "Bleeding the vats" is a process by which pink juice is removed from the grapes and fermented in a separate process. It is similar to the creation of red wine with a lower concentration of juice.

A less popular method is the combination of red and white wines to create the desired color. This is called "Blending" and is generally not practiced in most winemaking regions.

As white wine grew in popularity in the United States, exceeding the available supply of white wine grapes, white wine was fermented from red wine grapes and "bled" until the product lightened in color. This process produced a pale pink color and the first White Zinfandel. Blush wine is considered a rose wine that has been excessively bled.