Summer Nights, Rosé Days: July 2023

SUMMER OF ROSÉ

We value our Summer of Rosé and want to start this one off by highlighting what we feel is closest to us, the wines from Argentina.

Rosé wines playfully occupy the colorspaces between white and red wine; everything from a pale salmon pink to bright and shiny raspberry or a darker cherry juice tone almost like in a Pinot Noir is possible.

There are also different methods to produce a Rosé; the most common one is to separate the juice from the grape skins, during the so-called maceration process whenever the desired Rosé color is achieved. So instead of leaving the grape skins, the source of color in wines, together with the fermenting juice for weeks to produce a red wine, the contact is only for a few hours or a day and leaves the winemaker with total control of the color they want to achieve for their wines. Virtually all red wine variatals can be used in making Rosé wine, so every country or region has its traditional varietals and favorites.

In Argentina, you guessed it; Malbec is also the star in producing the Argentine Rosés; Pinot Noir and Bonarda, among others, are also exciting varietals to make fruit and flavor-forward interesting Rosé wines.

With centuries of winemaking tradition, Argentina is no longer a new-world wine country. The suitable climatic conditions and the knowledge gained have made it the fifth-largest wine-growing country in the world over the past 450 years! Traditional and modern winemaking methods go hand in hand here, producing exciting wines that are popular all over the globe, and the trend towards more Rosé wines is not gone unnoticed in Argentina.

Higher global temperatures throughout the year and more exciting and dedicated winemaking have called attention to Rosé wines among consumers worldwide. While it is never a bad idea in Summer to go pink, it has also become a wine of choice to pick as an Aperitif, or to accompany a meal, all year round. Argentinian Rosé are the perfect ones to pick; the fruit forwardness and an altogether bolder mouthfeel, while maintaining an acidic structure and backbone to keep the slightly higher alcohol content in check, are all very welcome characteristics when paring any wine with food.

A good Rosé has so many aromas and flavors; some of the most typical and delicious ones on the fruit side are strawberries, raspberries, cherries, honeydew melon, watermelon, grapefruit, and rhubarb. Depending on the type of grape that is used, citrus zest, rose petal, apricots, stone fruit, lemon custard, papaya and guava, and floral potpourri, mixed with sea stone and a herbaceous note are also often found as secondary aromas.

All these aromas and flavors just say one thing: it is summer!

And extra fun can be added to a Rosé with some bubbles, so don’t forget about the sparkling rose wine possibilities…