So, you're going to a summer party and need to bring a good wine. You want to pick out a bottle of rosé, but you... have no idea what you're doing.
Never fear, our Quick + Rosé Wine 101 Guide is here! Full disclosure, we're the furthest thing from wine experts, but we ARE basic bitches who've drank our fair share of rosé.
What is rosé wine?
Rosé wine is a pinkish wine that's usually light-bodied and is best served chilled. It's a perfect wine for summertime.
How is rosé wine made?
Ok, we went to the experts on this one. Wine Folly says that, "Rosé happens when the skins of red grapes touch wine for only a short time." That sounds... kinda romantic? Like the red grapes are just kissing the wine for a moment... anyway, Wine Folly has a lot more details on the different methods of making wine at that link.
Basically, winemakers use the maceration method (let red grapes rest in the juice for a while, then take them out), the saignée method (bleeding off the first few hours of juice when making red wine and using that juice to make rosé), or blending (mixing red and white wine to make rosé). TBH, the blending method sounded kind of sketch to us (like... just adding red and white wine to make pink wine and calling it rosé? Is that allowed)? But apparently it's very common with sparkling rosés in France's Champagne region, so if they do it, it must be legit.
What does rosé wine taste like?
It depends on which one you buy. Rosé has a stereotype in some circles of being sweet, but it's not! There are really nice, crisp, dry rosés out there. Whispering Angel is a good dry one that we like a lot. Summer in a Bottle is a good one, from right in our backyard here in Long Island. Summer Water is lovely - and we included the bottle in our rosé wine design!
THE most delish rosé that's kind of in the middle of dry and sweet is our favorite, this canned rosé called Beach Juice. It's good for beach picnics, because it stands up to heavier foods like lobster rolls and burgers while still being refreshing.
If you like really sweet, go with a moscato rosé. It's not our favorite - these are so sweet they hurt your teeth, but some people are into them.
Should rosé wine be chilled?
Yes. It's best served cold. Serve it right from the fridge, or bring a cooler if you're taking it on a picnic. Drinking warm rosé is like drinking warm beer.
How do you pronounce rosé wine?
Ahh, good question. It's French, and that little dash above the e is called an accent aigu (7th grade French lessons coming in hot). Rosé is pronounced like "rose-ay," rhyming with "all day" or "olé."
What's the best frosé recipe?
Ahhh, frosé - frozen rosé. It's like a rosé slushee and when done right, it's delicious. When done wrong, it's just kind of... weird, like wine-scented ice.
The biggest mistake people make when trying to make frosé is dumping ice and rosé in a blender and calling it a day. This just makes weird, watered- down wine that you can barely taste.
We've experimented with frosé a lot (it's the best thing to sip when floating in the pool), and here our are success tips. We don't actually measure it, we just kind of play it by ear.
- A big bottle of rosé. You don't need the fancy stuff. We actually get boxed rosé in the beginning of the summer to use for frosé all season long.
- Vodka - this makes for a stronger, more cocktail-like drink.
- Cointreau if ya nasty - we just get one of the little airplane-sized bottles at the front register of the liquor store.
- Strawberries - fresh or frozen. This adds that pink color (it's pretty white if you don't add these).
Fill your blender halfway with rose´. Add a glug of vodka and half the airplane bottle of Cointreau. Toss in a handful of strawberries. Fill with enough ice to fill the blender 3/4 of the way. Blend. If it's too liquid-y, add more ice - you want that slushy consistency. Garnish with mint, a strawberry slice, an orange slice, a lemon slice, whatever you'd like!
So, there's our guide to rosé 101 - while you're here, why don't you shop our Rosé collection? You can get $5 off your first order by signing up in our footer (just scroll down a little, you'll see a button for it!).