How is rosé made?
The colour of rosé comes from the skins of black grape varieties (e.g. grenache, syrah, mourvèdre, cinsault).
There are different methods to produce rosé, more or less extractive:
- Direct pressing - only the juice of black grapes is used to make light coloured rosés, without skin contact
- Short maceration - juice of black grapes is in contact with grape skins for a short period of time to extract colour and aromas, leading to more coloured and structured rosés
- Blending - mixing together white and red wines to create a rosé wine
E.g. Côtes-de-Provence AOP is made by direct pressing, Tavel AOP is made by short maceration, and Champagne rosé AOP can be made by blending.
Note: Blending is usually not allowed to produce rosé in European appellations. Champagne is the famous exception.
