How is rose wine produced?
It’s a question that has been mused over by many a drinker on a hot summer’s day as they nose the fruity aromas of refreshing pink vinos that provide cool, crisps refreshment for parched palates.
Some search their memories for instances when they’ve spotted pink grapes and some deduce that it must be a process of mixing white wine with red wine. But although the latter is a legitimate process for creating rose wine, it isn’t the most common way.
Producing rosé is a highly technical process. The most common method to produce high quality rosé is to crush black grapes and to leave skins in contact with the juice for anywhere from a few hours to a few days. The colour of rosé is defined by amount of days it was on the skins, type of grape (some are more coloured then others), climate and vintage.
But so as to confuse the situation even more, one additional method has crept on to the scene and is already starting to rustle a few feathers in the industry.
After working with the Refosco grape in many different ways in pursuit of a more serious rosé, Rosa dei Masi Masi is a wine made using the appassimento process on 50 per cent of the grapes (they are slightly dried for 20 days).
As far as Masi are aware, this is the only appassimento rosé in the world.
It’s a real find – more Provencal citrus than the ripe strawberry/raspberry fruit you encounter too often in rosé. Dry but with some fruit sweetness.
The wine has salmon pink with cherry-coloured reflections, intense aromas of just ripened berry fruit on the nose, especially raspberries and wild cherries. On the palate, it is soft and well balanced with lively and refreshing acidity. Long and attractive finish.
It would work well as an aperitif and with antipasti, light pasta dishes, shellfish and seafood.
£12.95, Winedirect
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