I was in awe the moment I saw rosé.
It was simply beautiful.
The colors. Oh My God! I was not expecting such a wide spectrum of hues. There were shades of pinks ranging from pale rose gold to red plum skin, all so striking and alluring and diverse.
I emerged from the Columbus Circle subway station, maneuvering past the slow-moving sidewalk traffic with the dexterity and intensity of an Olympic track star.
I was being a typical New Yorker – in a major rush – on my way to the Museum of Art and Design on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I was attending the first-ever Provence Iconic Panel and Experiential rosé wine tasting sponsored by Vins de Provence.
Provence had really been through the wringer. After being occupied by Greeks, Romans, Christians, Barbarians, Arabs, Spanish and the French, the region had faced a series of extreme highs and lows.
It was battered by war, devasted by a plague and practically neglected by most of France by the late 1700s.
The region was viewed as a backwater, underdeveloped rural fishing village that was inconveniently inaccessible to most people in Paris and other parts of France. Therefore, it continued to stay out of sight and out of mind.
Acidity is an important structure in wine that is not often as appreciated as alcohol, but it is very important for rosé wines. It is a key factor in maintaining the quality of the wine by helping to preserve its freshness over time. There are three major acids found in wine: citric acid like what is found in citrus fruits, malic acid like what is found in green apples and tartaric acid found in grapes.
In the cooler climate regions, let’s say like Champagne, for example, the grapes that grow there will oftentimes grow to be under ripe or just barely ripe. That is based on the general cool climate of northern France. Given that the grapes are under ripe or barely ripe, the grapes develop and maintain a high level of acid and not a lot of natural sugar.
Each wine region is equipped with its own geographical gifts that are distinct to that small or large section of land. It is a regional character that shines through. It is the wine’s natural identity. It is like having the fingerprints of a place all over the wine.
In the wine world, we call that “terroir.”
Terroir is a French word that translates into the word “soil” in English. This short word, however, extends so much further than just the soil of a parcel of land. The concept of terroir basically encapsulates the overall environment in which the grapes are grown on the vines.
It is time to get a little personal.
Up until this point, we’ve gone over a lot of detail in this book. Hopefully, you are getting a solid understanding of the pink wine category.
But now I want to focus on you.
At the beginning of book, I shared some of my earlier life experiences with pink wines.
For a while, I unintentionally pushed rosé wine out of my life. It wasn’t because I wanted to. It just sort of happened as I focused on other styles of wine, hoping to expand my personal palate.
This is going to be juicy.
I’m getting hungry just thinking about this chapter.
You might want to consider getting your hands on a little snack as you peruse these posts.
And don’t forget your wine. The conversation about food and wine pairings pops up in nearly every wine class I teach. That is regardless of the topic. It is something that people are genuinely interested in, learning how to maximize their enjoyment of wine and how to pair properly.