Plans to allow rosé wine to be made from mixing red wine with white have been shelved by the European Commission.
French producers were concerned that the proposal would harm the reputation of rosé wine, which has been growing in popularity and sales over recent years. Rosé wine is made from red wine grapes which are lightly (or quickly) pressed to minimise the amount of colour(and tannin) from the skins. Syrah and Cebernet Sauvignon are often used for rosé and can be rich in flavour but without the tannic punch of the red equivalent.
Inreasingly New World producers such as Argentina are producing good rosé wines such as Adnam’s 2007 Crios de Susana Balbo, Rose of Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina: “Fresh aromas of roses and cherries. Dry and moreish with a cherry-skin crunchy bite at the finish.”
However, despite being light in colour and tannin, rosé wines are not necessarily low in alcohol – the example quoted here comes in at 14o alchohol!
Of course there are also some red wines which are quite pale – e.g. some of the Pinot Noir wines from Alsace and the Loire Valley can be more of a dark pink.
