Marketing and events coordinator Shannon McClure, in association with wine importer Caribbean Producers Jamaica (CPJ), hosted yet another impressive wine-tasting event. The focus this time was on rosé wines.

The popularity of rosé has been steadily increasing in the Americas over the last decade. In Europe, where rosé was mainly drunk during the summer months, consumption has risen steadily as more people enjoy it throughout the year. Indeed, over the past decade there have been times when the French drank more rosé than white.

Rosé or blush — is there a difference?

All rosé wines are pink in colour, but not all pink wines are rosé. A true rosé is often off-dry to dry in nature and displays appropriate fresh fruit flavours that lean toward the strawberry and raspberry side of the fruit spectrum. They can be still or they can be sparkling. The other pink wines are referred to as “blush”, which is another name for the sweet American version of rosé wines. While rosé wines were once very popular, winemakers in California made their product a little sweeter, which made them a huge hit among novice wine drinkers in the ’80s. The most popular of these blush wines is White Zinfandel.

Really great rosé wines are made in most of the wine-producing regions of the world, but the most celebrated ones are from Provence, France, where rosé wines are typically dry, light-bodied and refreshing. Other rosé-producing regions of note in Europe include the Loire, Languedoc and Rhone Valley in France and some regions in Italy and Spain where it’s called rosado. McClure selected two from France and two from Italy for this tasting.

The French rosé we tasted

Château Minuty is regarded as the top producer of Côtes de Provence rosé in the Côte d’Azur region. Château Minuty is currently one of the best-selling rosé brands in the Americas, growing at an astonishing rate. Guests enjoyed two Minuty Rosé wines: Minuty PRESTIGE rosé 2016 and M de MINUTY rosé 2015; PRESTIGE rosé is the more ‘serious’ of these two, with a bit more body and backbone, but it’s still a fun fresh rosé. The M de MINUTY rosé is a tad lighter and more playful; it is fresh, soft and round — perfect for the beach or for poolside sipping all year.

The Italian rosé we tasted

Next up was the more ‘minerally’ Santa Cristina Cipresetto Rosato from the Antinori family’s Tuscany brand. One of Tuscany’s original rosés, Cipresseto shows a mid-pink colour, aromas of blackcurrant and cherry, and an attractive crisp balance.

The final wine for the evening was the delicious Fantinel Brut Rosé from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in the northeast of Italy. On the palate this rosé is a burst of acidity that gives it a fresh mouth-feel and hints of berries follow in this bright, dry, refreshing yet rich rosé sparkler. Fantinel makes this bubbly rosé with 87% Pinot Nero, 13% Chardonnay in the charmat, or tank method, in which the wine undergoes a secondary fermentation in bulk tanks and is bottled under pressure. The Fantinel Brut Rosé was a perfect end to a great wine- tasting evening. Prizes were on hand for couples who came closest to the correct pairing and tasting notes for each wine.

Christopher Reckord – Information Technology Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram @chrisreckord and on Twitter: @Reckord