Rose Wine for the summer days...

I think this is officially the 2nd sunny day we've had this year... and you know what that means! Yes its time to finally burn all those warm clothes we wrapped ourselves up in this winter- the coat, the hat, the gloves, and even the scarf... burn them all the summer is officially here! I'm off to boots to load up on the sun screen (lord knows i can't handle the sunburns) and buy a nice new expensive pair of shades, because we all know its worth the investment....

Ahhhh if only that were the case... but to be fair we do get the odd freak day of sunshine, sometimes it even hangs around for a whole day, maybe even two! So this raises the question... what will quench the thirst on these freak sunny days we get? Well as the title of the Blog would suggest Rose Wine (or as the Americans say blush wine). Now there are 3 different ways to make Rose Wine. Number 1 Dilution- Generally pretty frowned upon, and with good cause. Its like ribena when you could have actual juice... Now a few places do practice this method, such as champagne, but generally the reputable producers don't bother. Instead they opt for the second Option- Saignee. This is where Rose wine is produced as a by product of Red Wine Fermentation. This is because the Producer would like to increase the intensity of the tannin levels in his red wine. So he drains off some of the juice (which is pink) and then and this provides the other juice with more intense contact with the remaining grape skins. But this juice that was drained can still be allowed to ferment- and BOOM! ROSE WINE! Now for number 3. Pretty similar to number 2 except its not produced as a by product of the fermentation of red wine. Instead they will leave the grape skins in contact with the grapes for a day or two, then remove them. This gives them some of the colour but virtually no tannins are left.

So there you have the three methods... but to be honest the most important part is the grape variety they have chosen to make into a Rose Wine! For example Pinot Noir Rose will generally have strawberry and cream flavours cabernet franc or cabernet sauvignon will lean more to the rose petals and cherry flavours. Either way I'm sure you'll agree that on a warm sunny day, sitting in your back garden, after you've pulled out all that garden furniture from the shed that you thought you'd get so much use out of, nothing can beat a nice chilled glass of Rose Wine! So the next time its sunny make sure your well stocked up on the stuff- you don't want to waste any of the sunny day doing your shopping- the same goes for having a healthy supply of BBQ coal, and plenty of meat to grill!