Four Rosé Wine Varieties to Know (and Enjoy)
These four rosé wine kinds produce some of the most well known pink wines on the market. Obviously, they may look similar in a glass, but their taste is quite different from one another. Try each one to discover which dry rosé you like the best.
Here are some suggestions:
Grenache Rosé
Grenache is one of the top varieties used in popular Provence Rosé blends. You will also find it used in Northern Spain where it's called Garnacha Rosado.- Flavors: Strawberry, Raspberry, Watermelon Candy, Lemonade, and Cucumber. Wines possess a burst of sweet red fruit flavors and a finish that typically ends with zesty sweet lemon-like acidity.
- Food Pairing: Grenache is greatest when paired with aromatic spices and nightshades (you know! tomato, red pepper, eggplant...). Look to Morocco, the Middle East and India for cuisine inspiration.
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is a finicky grape which grows best in cool climates with a lot of inclement weather. On occasion the vintages are so miserable, winemakers table their red wine projects and make rosé instead. And, boy are they excellent!- Flavors: Strawberry, Orange Zest, Lemon Zest, Watermelon, Celery and White Cherry. Pinot Noir is generally made into a lean, dry style that bursts with scents but tends to be delicate on the taste.
- Food Pairing: Pinot Noir is excellent to try alongside French spices like Thyme or the Herbs de Provence mix. These floral and green spices really bring out the fruit tastes in this delicate wine. Furthermore, California Pinot generally has enough body to match up to summer corn dishes such as succotash and corn chowder.
Sangiovese
Italy's top grape variety is one of the most under-appreciated and undervalued rosé grapes on the market. Oddly, this wine remains somewhat tricky to find. In Italy, they are generally labeled as"rosato" that is the Italian way of saying "pink"- Flavors: Sweet Cherry, Wild Strawberry, Raspberry, Allspice, Clove and Cumin. Italian Sangiovese is a burst of red fruits which are complimented with meaty spice notes.
- Food Pairing: Sangiovese is bold enough as a variety to manage many different foods which normally would be problematic to pair with wine. The rosé will match beautifully with rich Chinese food, Thai Curries and, needless to say, Italian favorites like caprese salad and prosciutto.
Syrah
Syrah is a duzy for a rosé wine. With it's rich taste and oily texture, these can be some of the meatiest pink wines you will ever drink.- Flavors: The meatiest of the group, Syrah rosé wines exude white pepper, red pepper flake, cured meat, and cherry flavours with a backbone of bitter lime zest. This isn't your typical fruity rosé wine!
- Food Pairing: Look to Southern France, Northern Italy and Northern Spain for inspiration such as roast vegetable linguine, niçoise salad, lemon-garlic shrimp and paella.