For a few years, rosé wine has been gaining popularity in Spain. It is a smooth and refreshing drink, with a delicious flavor that can be paired with many different types of food.
But there is always a question that flies over diners when they have a rosé on the table.
What is rosé wine? How do you do it?
And around these questions, several hypotheses and legends have been created that are not true. Therefore, from Bodegas Altanza , we are going to explain everything you always wanted to know about this drink.
What is rosé wine
As many will imagine, a rosé wine is a red wine with little maceration, in which black and white grapes have been mixed for its elaboration . In turn, the tonality depends on its maceration time: the shorter the time a whiter and softer tone, the longer a more intense pink and even purplish or purplish color.
The color also depends on the techniques used to prepare it.
How rosé wine is made
Rosé wines in Spain are characterized by a wide range of fruity and floral notes . To achieve that unique flavor, different techniques are used.
By contact with skins
It is the rosé wine that is obtained by partial maceration, that is, a contact of two or three days with the must and the solid materials of the grape or skins (the skin and the seeds, pulp and stems of the fruit), which are those that contain color.
By bleeding
Another way to obtain rosé is as a by-product of red wine fermentation, using the bleeding technique, which translates into removing part of the must from the red grapes, but not their skins, with the aim of obtaining, on the one hand, a highly concentrated red wine by having monopolized the highest proportion of skins and, on the other, On the other hand, a rosé wine that will ferment with hardly any skins.
Gray wine
This type of rosé wine is produced when red grapes are used to prepare it, which results in a very clear, almost white wine . The grapes are directly pressed and a very short maceration time is applied to minimize the extraction of color from the skins. Then it is bottled without aging in wineries.
One way to tell them apart is that they have a very faint salmon color .
Before pressing the grapes, the grain is removed and thus it is guaranteed that this tonality is obtained.
By mixing
This technique is quite infrequent to be performed. As its name suggests, it is the mixture of red and white wine to obtain the rosé . This method is discouraged in almost all wine regions as it does not produce quality rosé wine.
Claret
Claret-type rosé wine is made in a similar way to red wine, fermenting with skins, but with a good proportion of white grapes, which means that the final rosé wine does not acquire as much color. It is a typical drink from La Rioja , Aragon, the Basque Country and some areas of Soria, Burgos and Valladolid.
With what to drink rosé wine. Types of rosé wine and pairing
Before being able to pair it, we must know very well the types of rosé wine that we will find, so that our choice is the most successful possible.
Thus, we can distinguish two types of rosé wine:
- Dry cut: common in Spain and France, countries that also lead the production of this rosé wine in which two to three different types of grapes are used for its production.
- Sweet cut : a type of rosé wine that is not so used in Spain. To produce it, do not allow all the sugar to ferment in the alcohol
Once we have this clear, we must choose dishes that, like rosé wine, are fresh and fruity. The meals with which good rosé wine is usually tasted are:
- Salads: freshness is what most identifies this dish, which, like rosé wine, especially dry cut , can be fruity and semi-sweet. For salads we recommend Alma Bohemia .
- Fish and shellfish: Fish usually have mild flavors. That’s why they also need a drink that is too, like rose wine. In addition, rosé wine will enhance your seafood with its freshness.
- Rice dishes: following a typical dish of the Mediterranean diet, rice dishes are a great candidate to pair with this type of wine. Try it and you will discover new flavors never imagined.
- Pasta: any type of pasta is a good pairing with a rosé wine. If the sauce that accompanies it is fish or shellfish, choose a dry rosé. If it has rather sweet undertones, your choice should be based on the fact that the wine has similar characteristics. If you have prepared a pasta with pesto we recommend the Altanza Rosado to make your dish an unforgettable experience
Conservation of rosé wine
Rosé wine, the colder the better its flavor . That’s why take it out just when you go to serve the food.
Its optimal temperature is between 6 and 8 degrees , make sure to keep it in that range for as long as possible before serving.
We also recommend that you use glasses that are smaller than red wine glasses to preserve their temperature and flavor.
