Pink, pretty pink. Good enough to drink!
Yes, I opened with a line from Lizzo’s song in the Barbie movie. It’s apt.
On the fourth Friday in June, the world celebrates International Rosé Day. The holiday originated in Provence, the southern French region famous for this wine style. Although rosé has been a staple there for centuries, the inaugural celebration was just in 2018. It should be no surprise that rosé has enjoyed a monumental rise in popularity over recent decades. It no longer gets the side-eye, as a victim of assumptions and aspersions. Most of the time you can expect a dry, refreshing, fruity wine. The advent of social media, especially photo-centric instagram, has almost certainly helped boost the global perception of rosé, with its attractive range of hues. It’s definitely the most beautiful wine to look at. On top of that, rosé offers a unique and refreshing alternative to traditional red and white wines, especially for younger wine enthusiasts. Most importantly, it’s a fantastic wine style, just as worthy of appreciation, curiosity, and discovery as any other.
Not only has interest in rosé grown in the past 20 years, but the quality as well. Like all wines, rosé has benefitted from improvements in winemaking technology and vineyard management, and the results speak for themselves. Rosé has been recognized as its own category at the All Canadian Wine Awards since 2001, and at WineAlign since 2017. International publications like Decanter also have awards specifically for rosé wines.
Rosé wines can be made with any of the same grapes used for red wine. In Provence it’s usually Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault, Syrah, and others. In BC, producers use whatever grows best on their lands. This is often Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, or Cabernet Franc. It can be a blend, but is more frequently single-varietal.
Photo Credit: Wines of BC
How is rosé made? It’s a relatively straightforward but still very technical process to produce quality wines. Some are made via direct pressing, where the juice is pressed out of the grapes and immediately separated for fermentation. This method results in the most delicately coloured wines. Others are produced with a brief period of maceration. Since colour and tannins as well as aromatic compounds are extracted from the grape skins, the right balance is needed by the winemaker to achieve fruity character, freshness, aroma, and minimize astringency. Some rosé can be made by blending a small amount of red wine with a white wine, but this is very seldom done today and is not allowed in some geographical indications. The vast majority of rosé is produced by direct pressing or short maceration. Either way, once the juice is separated from the skins, rosé is produced in the same manner as white wines. Lees contact can be employed to provide complexity and to aid in the battle for freshness. Oak barrel aging is rarely used, but when it is, it is minimal. Rosé is always meant to be drunk young and fresh.
Although rosé is heavily marketed during warmer months, it is a delicious and versatile wine to be enjoyed year round. It is typically produced with 11-12% alcohol, and the best examples have food-friendly and mouth-watering acidity to go along with flavours of citrus, melon, red fruit, as well as floral and mineral character. They pair well with salads, seafood, grilled meats, cheeses, and off-dry examples with a little residual sugar can match well with spicy dishes.
Below are 8 gorgeous BC rosés sent to me by the wineries for this feature, and my reviews for each.
Bench 1775 2022 Glow
100% Pinot Noir from two Naramata vineyards, harvested 3 weeks apart. Gold 2023 at the All Canadian Wine Championships and Bronze at WineAlign 2023. Vibrant medium pink colour with a nose of blossoms, strawberry, cherry, and lemon. Rosé is all about fruit and it shows up here as predominantly red berry character. The wine is dry with elevated acidity and offers a satisfying finish. Bench 1775 never misses. A steal at only $22.75 a bottle, purchase here!
Sandhill 2022 Rosé
A blend of Merlot, Gamay, Syrah, Petit Verdot, and Viognier from Okanagan and Similkameen vineyards. Pale salmon colour with pronounced aromas of strawberries, rhubarb, cantaloupe, grapefruit, and juicy apple. It’s dry with lots of acidity that stretches out those primary flavours for a decent finish that leaves an appealing fruit salad impression. A little hot on the alcohol so make sure it’s well chilled, but it’s well made and refreshing. Only $22/bottle, a perfect summer wine!
Winemaker’s Cut 2023 Rosé
100% Cabernet Franc. Hand harvested, direct pressed. Medium pink colour with so much to offer - intense notes of ripe melon, blossoms, strawberry, cherry, juicy apple, and candied grapefruit. This wine is showing a lot of complexity on the nose and the palate, proving that rosé can be something special. Although it is dry, all that fruit creates a perceived smooth sweetness. Lovely. Purchase for $26 here.
1 Mill Road 2023 Pinot Noir Rosé
Handpicked from a single 2.5-acre vineyard in East Kelowna. After whole-bunch pressing, a portion underwent fermentation in seasoned French oak for additional complexity. Recently voted #1 BC rosé by Gone West Wine Club in a blind tasting event! A pale salmon colour and a more timid wine - aromas of grapefruit, strawberry, and apple are delicate. Similarly on the palate which is dry and refreshing with the highest acidity of the lineup. An excellent partner with food, especially vinaigrettes. Buy a 6 pack for $228 here.
Riverstone 2022 Rosé
50/50 blend of Cab Franc and Syrah, handpicked, destemmed, and crushed. Syrah was pressed immediately, while Cab Franc was allowed 4 hours skin contact. All stainless fermentation with 3 months aging on lees. Three silver medals: WineAlign 2023, All Canadian Wine Championships 2023, and SavorNW Wine Awards 2024. Another pale salmon wine, like clouds transilluminated by the setting sun. Mineral character streaks through the grapefruit, strawberry, and crisp pear aromas and flavours. The structure and texture are particularly noteworthy. A soft, gentle, and approachable rosé. Purchase now for $24.90 here.
Tightrope 2023 Rosé
Naramata Bench vineyards produced the Pinot Noir and Barbera for this wine, with final proportions of 96% and 4% respectively. I didn’t even know anyone was growing Barbera in the Okanagan! Maceration lasted 1-2 days followed by fermentation in stainless steel. This is the deepest pink of the group, and the wine is juicy with aromas and flavours of strawberry, raspberry, and watermelon. Good ripe acidity and a medium finish. Simple and tasty. Buy now before it sells out at only $25/bottle.
Pacific Breeze 2023 Rosé
100% Merlot sourced from Oak Knoll Vineyards in Kaleden were used for this urban wine, vinified in New Westminster. Despite 18 hours of skin contact, this is notably the lightest of all the rosés here. The palest pink, yet such a potent and exciting nose full of melon, strawberry, cherry, candied apple, nectarine, and orange blossom. It’s off dry with medium acidity, low tannin, and just so remarkably packed with ripe juicy fruit, and impressing with a long finish. Don’t discount what a good urban winemaker can do with premium fruit! Buy now for $23.60.
Poplar Grove 2022 Lakeview Rosé
100% single vineyard Malbec harvested in early November went into this wine with stainless steel fermentation. The colour is a deep salmon, and the unique bottle shape follows a trend in southern France to set their product apart in a dense market. I think it’s just as welcome here. On the nose there are pronounced aromas of violets, melon, strawberry, cherry, and pomelo. The fruit flavours are equally intense, the wine is dry, and has plenty of acidity. There’s a touch of tannin as well and the finish is pretty long. At a higher price point for rosé at around $30 but there is absolutely a place for it at the table!
I hope I’ve dispelled some misconceptions and maybe convinced you that rosé wines have much more to offer than just a summer fling. They’re anything but basic. Bring a rosé to your next picnic, backyard barbecue, romantic dinner, or Netflix and chill. Make sure there’s a rosé available at your wedding, corporate party, or other formal event. No one in any of these scenarios will be disappointed!
Pink: goes with everything!
This blog post was written by our contributor: Matt Tinney.