ROSY FUTURE FOR ROSÉ
The rosé wine category is closing in on a 300 per cent increase in dollar sales from January 2016 to January 2020 across the U.S. market, and there is little to suggest that the same isn’t happening in Canada.
The Nielsen numbers point to a dollar jump to US$576 million from $151 million, making rosé the fastest-growing retail wine category at the end of the decade.
What you are buying varies widely depending on where you live and your access to international and local rosé. Still, the once-dominant French pinks of Provence are facing stiff competition from all over the world.
In B.C., just about everyone and their dog is making a rosé — and in a few cases, dogs even appear on rosé labels. The rapid category growth is a double-edged sword for consumers. It spawns a plethora of new names to energize the sector, but with the good comes some less than perfect offerings that probably never should have seen the inside of a bottle.
After working through a couple of dozen wines this week, it is clear that practice makes perfect. Let’s just say there are a lot fewer dogs in the marketplace today and many more thoughtful, stylish releases. Are there too many? Yes. Are they pricey? Many are, but experience and time are improving the B.C. rosé breed.
Since we mentioned Provence, it is safe to say the pale, salmon-coloured rosés remain the standard by which all others are judged, but as the circle widens worldwide, Provence rosé will become more of a style than a category leader.
In B.C., we are being treated to a diversity of styles stemming from site and winemaking, and it is giving us plenty to think about and enjoy. For the moment, the price band is tighter, which makes it easier to consider other factors when you are thinking about which producer’s pink you will buy. I’m not hung up on production methods, and it seems neither are you.
Some producers macerate the juice on its skins for a few hours (the more time, the darker the juice). You can employ the French saignée method — pulling or bleeding juice from a tank.
Often a saignée is connected to a secondary cash-cow label that results from the winemaker concentrating the must from the winery’s primary red wines. Direct pressing reduces the amount of skin contact time to a measured minimum, typically leaving light-coloured, fruity rosés. At the same time, you can simply blend red and white juice to establish colour and style, although this would be the least desirable method of modern times.
Rosé’s biggest improvement over the last decade in the New World stems from winegrowers who have planted vineyards and selected varieties and farm grapes destined to be rosé each season. Our weekend picks feature just a few of the many local wines you can choose. I only have a couple of cautions: the younger, the better — so 2019 is best — and under screw cap is a must.
A quick look at the global market gives you plenty of rosé choices, including a classic Mateus Rosé ($9.99, Portugal), Wine for Yoga Lovers Sangiovese Rosé ($15.99, Australia), Leyda Pinot Noir Rosé ($15.99, Chile), Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé ($15.99, South Africa) and Nespoli Filarino Rubicone Sangiovese ($15.99, Italy)
And from France: Perrin Ventoux Rosé ($12.99), L’ostal Cazes ($16.99), Benji Rosé ($18.97), Allon des Cigales Reserve Varois en Provence Rosé ($19.99), Domaine Lafond Roc Tavel Rosé ($26.99), Jolie Pitt & Perrin Miravel ($28.99), Joseph Mellot Sancerre Rosé ($32.99) and D’esclans Whispering Angel Rosé ($38.99).