Along with the intense Virginia heat and humidity, there is little more quintessential to mark the beginning of summer in Virginia wine country than the uptick in sales of rosé wines. A steady choice throughout the year, once May sunshine rolls around, we see a HUGE boom in the number of bottles of these pink beauties flying off of our shelves.
You can find a wide variety of rosés throughout the Monticello wine trail. From pale and dry to bright pink and bursting with fruity flavor, there is sure to be a version that pleases any wine palate. We tend to prefer the pale, crisp, dry versions in the style of a classic Provencal rosé (a beautiful example of which you can currently sample, by the glass, in our 2019 Bell Mount Rosé). Be sure to be on the lookout for the upcoming release of our brand new 2019 Mount Pleasant Malbec Rosé! 100% Malbec, this rosé is unlike any of the versions we have offered before; with a dark pink color and nuances of a light fruity red. As the wine warms in the glass the aromas evolve from light berry to ripe strawberries and juicy watermelon.
The question that we are often asked is “how is rosé made?”. What most people do not know is that there are three distinct methods to making a bottle of beautiful pink wine.
The first, the Maceration Method, uses red grapes and involves leaving the juice on the fruit skins to allow them to steep or “macerate”. Just like with red wine, rosé will pick up its color from the time the juice is spent in contact with the skins; this is typically anywhere from 2-24 hours, the longer the contact, the darker the color.
The second is the Saignée (san-yay) Method, also known as the “bleed” method. In this case, while in the process of producing a red wine, the wine maker will “bleed” off a portion of the juice from the fermentation tank. While the rest of the wine will continue to steep with the skins to become red wine, the juice that was removed goes into a separate tank to finish fermenting into rosé.
The last method, though much less frequently used, is the Blending Method. This, just like it sounds, involves blending together white and red wines to make a rosé blend. This method is typically frowned upon and is generally considered to produce lower quality rosé.
In honor of 2020 Rose Day (this Saturday, June 13th!), we are offering a gift set with our 2017 Bell Mount Rose and 2018 Stargazer’s Sparkling Rose. Complete with our logo’d Mount Ida wine tumbler (with logo in rose gold). Treat yourself or a loved one to the best of Virginia’s rosé offerings! Our rosés are perfect to bring along to any summer shindig or to enjoy from the comfort of your own patio.
