Rose Wines - How They Get Their Pink Color

There are three ways to produce rose wine. Firstproducers.
is used for when the rose wine is the mainThe are different styles of rose wine as well. A
product. The red-skinned grapes are smashed andtype of German rose wine, Weißherbst, is
the skins are left in the juice for a short period ofmade from only one collection of grape. After
time. Then the grapes are pressed, and the skinsWorld War II, there was a craze for moderately
are thrown away rather than being left in thesweet rose wines for mass market consumption.
juice through fermentation. The skin has a lot ofA few classic examples are Matues Rosé
the strongly flavored tannin and other compounds,and the American "blush" wines of the 70's.
and makes it have a taste similar to that of whiteMatues Rosé wine is a type of sparkling,
wine. The longer the skins are left in the juice, themedium sweet wine made in Portugal. In 1942,
darker the color of the wine.the brand was created and after World War II
The second way to produce rose wine is byproduction started. It was styled to appeal the
Saignée, or bleeding. It is used when "thefast growing Northern European and North
winemaker desires to impart more tannin andAmerican markets. "Production grew rapidly in the
color to a red wine, and removes some pink juice1950s and 1960s and by the late 1980's,
from the must at an early stage, in a processsupplemented by a white version, it accounted for
known as bleeding the vats." The separated juiceover 40% of Portugal's table wine exports."
is fermented separately, making the rose as aBlush rose wines were originally supposed to
derivative of the red wine. Because of themake up for white wine. In the early 70's the
bleeding, it is intensified, and the volume of thedemand for white wine was larger than the
juice in the must is lowered. The must is thenavailability of white wine grapes. So in order to
involved in the maceration is concentrated.keep production, white wine producers started
The final way is blending. Blending is a simplemaking white wine from red skin grapes, just
mixture of red wine to impart color. This processkept the skins from being in contact with the
is not very uncommon, and is not allowed in mostjuice for too long. The concept was the whiter
wine growing regions now, besides Champagne.the better.
Even there the process is not adopted by many