We love making wines in a variety of colours and styles but a favourite amongst our team and guests alike is our rosés! This year we made three different rosés, so there’s a perfect pink wine for everyone who walks through our doors!
So what is rosé?
Simple – it’s a pink wine! Rose’s inherent pinkness comes from the influence of red grapes, and can be both still and sparkling. Fresh and bright like a white wine but with the deep red fruit flavours of red wine, rosé is a perfect compromise!
How do you make rosé?
There are three major ways of making rosé and the first is to blend white wine with red wine. We don't usually opt for this method! Instead, we take a très français and classic approach to rosé by using the other two methods. Winemaker Matt Mikulic will always use 100% red grapes in either a direct press method, or a short period of maceration. Making rosé in these two methods is kind of like taking a red grape down a white wine path…read on!
When grapes are crushed, the juice is always clear – it’s contact with the grape skins that give all wines their colour, whether they’re white, red or rosé. A major difference between red and white wine is skin contact, as most whites are fermented after we press the skins away, while red wines undergo their fermentation with the skins. As we have already noted, rosé is somewhere in between the two!
Direct press is when we crush red grapes and press the skins away immediately. During this process the juice will pick up only a delicate and faint hue. Our 2022 Limited Edition Bench Rosé was made in this method because it’s 100% Zinfandel, which has incredibly dark skins and a concentrated, intense flavour profile. Too much skin contact may have been too extreme in terms of colour and flavour, since we usually aim for an elegant style! Rosé made from Zinfandel is commonly called White Zinfandel and is usually off-dry like ours. We absolutely love this throwback style, so come by and try our Limited Edition Bench Rosé and let us show you how amazing White Zinfandel can be!
We used varying levels of maceration for our 2022 Pretty Women sparkling wine and our 2022 Rosé, which are both 100% Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir has very thin skins, so we knew we could macerate the skins with the juice and still have control over the extraction of flavour and colour. Our Pretty Women was macerated for 24 hours to achieve its fun fuchsia hue. The extra extraction time also results in boisterous and bold berry flavours! In contrast, the 2022 Rosé was macerated for 6 hours to create an elegant, pale hue. This rosé is refined and sophisticated with incredibly pure notes of fresh strawberry.
What is the best rosé?
That’s easy – whether it’s bubbly, dry or off-dry, the best rosé is the one you like the most! Attend our DRINK PINK Rosé Party on June 10th to cast your vote, or drop by our tasting room and give these three beauties a try while quantities last!
From our family to yours,
Three Sisters Winery