Rosey on over to pink wines
The dishes you create for your online cooking school are likely lighter in the summer. The heat and humidity of the season causes hearty dishes, and even wine, to seem like too much. It only makes sense to swap the meals you cook in winter for new ones during the summer, which is why many people also trade their wine. Roses have become increasingly popular, in part because their light fruity taste keeps drinkers cool. However, rose’s too-sweet reputation has kept many drinkers away. Now vineyards have made efforts to ensure their rose has the right amount of sweetness and freshness to cater to discerning pallets.
Producing rose wines
Rose, like red and white wines, is produced using a specific technique. The same grapes that produce a red pinot noir will yield a rose pinot noir. The meat or interior of red grapes is white, and red wines get their color because they sit in the skin longer. Rose grapes are lightly mashed, left with their skins anywhere from a couple hours to a couple days (a process called maceration), then the liquid is pressed out. The resulting juice is then fermented in tanks at a cool temperature. Rose wines have a longer maceration period than whites, and feature a combination of white and red grapes.
According to NPR, French growers started purchasing the supplies necessary to produce a complex rose during the 1990s. Prior to that time, growers would use the same tanks they had to produce reds and whites to ferment roses. Now that cooling tanks are on the market, and installed at many vineyards, rose wine can be fermented at the proper temperature. The process of making rose creates a fresh-tasting wine perfect for summer.
What to look for
If you think a bottle of rose will go great with that dish you’re making, you’re probably right. Rose wines come in diverse flavors you can pair with your food. However, you want to make sure you get the proper type of the wine. Roses range from dry to sweet, just like reds and whites do. What’s more, the grape used to make the wine can impart savory, earthy, floral or fruity notes. You might want to start your meal with a floral wine, then move to a savory one during the main course. Pay attention to the type of grape used to figure out the flavor profile you’d like. Cabernet varieties and syrah will have that savory and dry taste. Pinot noir, grenache, Provence and sangiovese will be dry and fruity. White zinfandel, white merlot and blush will be sweet.
