Blush wines in America have come a long way from their origins in the sweet, pink White Zinfandel of the last century. Legend has it that Sutter Home was experimenting with Saignée on a tank of red Zinfandel when the fermentation got stuck at about 2% alcohol. Yep, a tank of Zinfandel was sweeter than a dessert wine. They decided to market the hell out of it instead of pouring 4,000 gallons of wine down the drain and a new type of wine was born — White Zinfandel. P.S. There is no White Zinfandel grape.

Traditional methods of making Rosé or blush wines require very little skin contact while making the wine. The longer the skins stay in contact with the must, the deeper the color will be. Rosé can range from a barely visible pink to dark rose.

Rosé wines are usually made still but you’ll find both semi-sparkling and full sparkling wines on the shelf. They also range in residual sugar levels, from dry to sweet. The alcohol level printed on the label will give you an idea of how sweet or dry the wine is. For example, a wine at 13%, will have been fermented out dry. But a wine at 2%, will definitely have a ton of residual sugar.

Rosé’s origins naturally began in France centuries ago and are ubiquitous in the warmer southern region. In Provence, more than half of their wine production is Rose’ made from Mourvedre. The warm summers along the Mediterranean Sea require plenty of chilled, pink wine. Over those centuries, the best ways to make Rosé evolved:

Today’s Rosés are made with many different red grape varieties. Some favorites are Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Grenache, Mourvedre, Malbec or Merlot. Usually, but not always, these grapes are harvested earlier than if they were going to be made into red wine. This maintains the fresh fruit flavors and acidity of the wine.

The magic of the pink color happens at the beginning of the winemaking process. How long and how much skin is left in contact with the wine before fermentation takes place determines how much or how pale the pink will be. 

When the grapes are crushed, the result is a blend of skin and juice that is then macerated. Maceration is when the grape skins leach their color into the juice. This could take a few hours or a day. The shorter the maceration, the less red pigments are released into the liquid. It’s similar to making a cup of tea. The longer you leave the tea bag in, the darker the tea will be.

During maceration, tannins are also extracted from the skins, seeds or any stems in the juice. Rosés with limited maceration, in addition to the pretty pink hue, have very little tannins. But the short maceration also means a short but delightful life. So consume early and often. 

French for “to bleed,” saignée is a winemaking technique that results in a Rosé wine made by running off, or bleeding a certain amount of free-run juice from just crushed red grapes after a short maceration but before fermentation.

The real goal with this technique is to make a big red wine. The saignée (sawn yee) method is a process that “bleeds” about 10% of the juice from the crushed grapes to achieve a more concentrated red wine but the bonus is also a charming, pink Rosé.

Vin Gris is another French term meaning “gray wine.” These wines are fermented as soon as the grapes are pressed. Maceration time is cut down to minutes and although you would expect from the name that the color of the final wine to be gray, the result is actually a much paler pink than even some of the Rosé wines made with saignée.

Blending is pretty much used in the American bulk wine industry. This method of winemaking uses red and white finished wines blended together to make a blush wine. Just thinking about a box of White Zinfandel or Pink Chablis makes me blush.

In the Old World, blending red wines and white wines is considered a nouveau (another French term meaning new) method and is generally not part of their sanctioned winemaking processes. In France, appellation contrôlée guarantees a French wine was produced in the stated region, from vines and production methods that are regulated in that region.

But in Champagne, blending white and red grapes is a centuries old tradition almost exclusively used in the production of Rosé Champagne.

Rosé has become so well established as a summer staple. There are so many noteworthy Rosés from Spain (Rosado), Portugal (remember Mateus?), America (blush, pink, Vin Gris), Provence, Champagne and Sparkling Rosé. This Pink adventure could last all summer long.

Mary Earl has been educating Kitsap wine lovers for a couple of decades, is a longtime member of the West Sound Brew Club and can pair a beer or wine dinner in a flash. She volunteers for the Clear Creek Trail, the Central Kitsap Community Council and is a longtime supporter of Silverdale.