Last week we began discussing white wines that you might want to try in these hot conditions, today we move along the colour scale from white to pink.

Blush and Rosé wines, what’s the difference?

Rosé wines are a big summer favourite in Europe. Persons who have lived all their life in these wine-producing regions understand that the big red wines are simply too much on a 90-degree afternoon. They need something cool and refreshing, and for those persons who still want some of the characteristics of red wines, but not so much alcohol, rosés, still or sparkling, are the way to go.

Rosé

Rosé wines are made using two methods. The first method, maceration, is where the red grapes are crushed and the juice sits in contact with the skins, as in red wine production, for a short period. Before fermentation, the winemaker will remove the juice, transfer it to a new container then ferment the juice without the skins. In the past, rosé wines were just a by-product of red wine production as the winemaker would bleed off some of the juice in order to make the red wine more concentrated. The juice that was bled off would then be bottled as a rosé. The second method is to make red wine and white wine separately and then simply blend them. This method is banned in most European wine regions with the exception of Champagne where they make some of the top Rosé Champagnes in the world, commanding prices north of US$400 per bottle. We might be able to find Krug Brut Rosé Champagne, Veuve Clicquot Brut Rosé Champagne, Moët & Chandon Brut osé Champagne and Perrier-Jouët Brut Rosé Champagne here in Jamaica. Most rosé wines are usually dry (not sweet) with wonderful tropical fruit flavours and refreshing acidity.

Blush

Blush can simply be described as another name for the sweet American version of rosé wines. While rosé wines were once very popular with American wine lovers, the winemakers in California made their product a little sweeter, which made them a huge hit among novice wine drinkers.

Some argue that the name ‘Blush’ wines was created for marketing purposes in order to differentiate them from the dry French Rosé wines which they outsold in short order. The most popular of these blush wines is White Zinfandel. It is the same grape as the regular red Zinfandel, but a little accident occurred during the wine-making process at a popular wine producer’s facility resulting in a pinkish wine that still had some residual sugar. Instead of dumping the batch they bottled it, and ‘blush’ wines were born. Relatively easy to make, these wines provide a lot of income for the producers, some of whom use other red wine grapes such as Merlot and Grenache to make blush wines. That said, please, no long discussions or contemplation about these blush wines, just pour and drink.

Rosé wine’s popularity is on the rise again and some of the key reasons are that quality has increased, drinkers are more travelled, knowledgeable and understand that it is OK to drink pink wines since they are most fitting to be consumed during these hot times. I once read that “Rosé is the red wine lover’s white wine”. Try it, you just might like it.

Pink wines available here are: Beringer White Zinfandel which is an award-winning brand that has won critical acclaim and is the most popular brand of White Zinfandel in the world, accounting for 46% of total White Zinfandel sales globally. Beringer Sparkling White Zinfandel was created to celebrate 20 years of their White Zinfandel production. Another good choice is the Delicato White Zinfandel which has delicate flavours of watermelon and strawberry with undercurrents of kiwi which are nicely balanced with a refreshingly light, crisp acidity. Gallo Family Vineyards, Barefoot, Robert Mondavi Woodbridge all have great White Zinfandel offerings available in this market. Barton & Guestier has just released a new sparkling rosé, which has just arrived in the country. Another sparkler to try is simply called Pink by YellowGlen.

Top Rosé Champagne

One of the top champagne houses in France, Veuve Clicquot produces their best product in the rosé style: it is La Grande Dame Brut Rosé. This Champagne has a magnificent deep colour with glowing bronze tones, the effervescence is fine and long-lasting. In the mouth, the wine confirms the complexity of the nose. With a rare aromatic concentration, La Grande Dame Rosé 1995 reveals exceptional fullness and volume and a dense, deep texture, with the Pinot Noir maintaining its structure. The silkiness so characteristic of La Grande Dame is already present, and with time this sensation of mellowness will be accentuated. The extremely harmonious finish, together with the smoothness and mellowness of this wine, draws us into a world that radiates sensuality.

Cheers ! Now go forth and try a few new wines. Please send your wine stories, comments and questions to creckord@gmail.com . DeVine Wine Services is operated by Chris and Kerri-Anne Reckord and its mission is to improve wine appreciation through wine education and events.