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It’s the ‘sip of the season’

As visitors sipped wine under a shade tree on a sunny afternoon, Raechel Kuehn poured a glass of Moscato Rose at Penns Woods Winery in Chadds Ford, smiled and said, “Rosé is kind of having a moment right now. Everyone wants to ‘rosé all day’ and ‘drink pink.’”

Raise a glass! Saturday’s National Rosé Day.

“What I love about rosé is that it is everything refreshing about a white wine. It’s cool. It’s crisp. It’s clean. But it has the heart of a red wine,” added the tasting room and sales manager. “Just because it’s pink doesn’t mean it’s sweet.”

While moscato’s naturally sweet, the winery’s White Merlot and Field Blend Rosé are dry, made from the saignée (bleeding) method.

“We let the skins bleed into the juice, but we don’t leave them in contact,” said Carley Razzi Mack, co-owner and marketing director. “And you’re left with these beautiful colors.”

Chaddsford Winery applies the technique to its Artisan Series Dry Rosé, bleeding off “the initial juice that comes out of the fruit.”

“That first 20 percent is the lighter juice that’s being used to make this,” explained Corey Krejcik, vice president and general manager. “It really provides a flavorful, fruit-forward, bright, crisp, dry rosé.”

The remaining “80 percent goes into other bottlings,” he said, producing “more full-bodied” reds.

On the sweet side, Chaddsford’s Sunset Blush is “meant to highlight the Steuben grape” with peach, pink grapefruit, strawberry notes. Try it in cocktails and pink lemonade wine slushies.

Manatawny Creek Winery in Douglassville also bottles a perfectly pink Steuben wine dubbed Rose.

“It’s just a really easy-todrink, middle-of-the-road, pleasing summer sipper. We call it a really good picnic wine,” described winemaker Joanne Levengood. “If you like white zinfandel, you’re going to love this. It’s got a lot of character.”

Pour some in sangria, freeze it for a “frosé” or mix with seltzer for a “light, fizzy drink that cuts down on the sweetness.”

PHOTO BY EMILY RYAN Visit Penns Woods Winery for National Rosé Day specials.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MANATAWNY CREEK WINERY Manatawny Creek Winery’s Rose wine “just makes me think of summer,” says winemaker Joanne Levengood.

PHOTO BY EMILY RYAN Chaddsford Winery’s Sunset Blush is the sweet counterpart to its Dry Rosé.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHADDSFORD WINERY The award-winning Artisan Series Dry Rosé “is a dynamite sipper for a patio with a cheese plate or crudités,” says Corey Krejcik of Chaddsford Winery.

PHOTO BY EMILY RYAN Find Chaddsford’s award-winning Artisan Series Dry Rosé exclusively at the winery.

PHOTO BY EMILY RYAN Find these rosé wines at Penns Woods Winery.