Is it not just Rosé? Well, kind of. In the United States sweet pink wine is marketed as “blush”. The drier styles come under the rosé tag. As you’ll know here in Ireland and on the continent, pink wine is called rosé, whether it is dry, off-dry, medium or sweet. The label will quite often indicate the level of sweetness, and if not, one can simply ask for recommendations based on their preference.

Blush caught on in the U.S. in the 1970s when winemaker, Bob Trinchero, experienced a problem whilst making a white zinfandel in the Sutter Home winery in California. The yeast had died off before all of the sugar could be turned to alcohol. He decided to set it aside for a few weeks and after tasting it he sold it off as a sweeter pinker wine soon to be christened ‘blush’.

This was all at a time when the demand for white wine was exceeding supply in California. They actually started using red grapes to make white wine, using the free run juice and with minimal skin contact.

It was a bit of a team effort to come up with the name ‘blush’. Winemaker at Mill Creek vineyards, Charlie Kreck, and wine writer Jerry Mead, came up with the name in 1976. Mead suggested it as a joke at first, but shortly after a later conversation Kreck decided to trademark the word.

As expected, rosé sales have taken a jump again this year. Well, certainly at Curious Wines and in the UK. A recent study of the UK market found that rosé sales from shops are up by 9.2% in value and 7.6% in volume in the year to May. The interesting part is the growth at the higher end. Despite the difficult times, people are happy to trade up when buying a bottle to take home for the weekend.

Curious rosés this summer – let’s just hope the weather improves!

With rosé sales in Ireland expected to be on the increase again this summer, it’s a wonder why some people continue to go back to the sub €10 Californian rosé. You know, the stuff your girlfriends got sick on in college. Not that I didn’t have a little tipple myself in the past.

Rosé is no doubt making a bit of a comeback, and while many will stay with the predictable white Zinfandel, those who are slightly more curious will be after something that tastes more like wine. Just for the record, I have nothing against cheap zinfandel rosé. It’s an inexpensive, sweet and fruity alcoholic beverage that has a market, but for better drinking this summer, my top four rosé picks are:

V Rosé, Transylvania, Romania

It doesn’t always have to be Californian, does it? The V comes in a slightly drier style of rosé, so it wouldn’t have the clawing sweetness of the more commercial styles.

Mirabello Pinot Grigio Rosé, Lombardia, Italy

White wine drinkers are always pleasantly surprised to see a rosé made from their beloved Pinot Grigio grape. The Mirabello, which was commended at last years Decanter World Wine Awards, has extracted colour from the pink Pinot Grigio grapes, as well as having a small proportion of the red Pinot Nero blended into the mix.

Woodstock Grenache Rosé, McLaren Vale, South Australia

Winemaker Scott Collett has unashamedly produced a medium rosé bursting with sweet red fruit aimed squarely at the female clientèle. The attention to detail in the winery, the quality of fruit and the refreshing acidity moves this rosé streets ahead of the competition. Despite a higher price, this will be one of our best sellers this summer.

Montresor Pinot Rosé Royal Spumante NV, Veneto, Italy

Back to Italy for a piece of pure indulgence. This sparkling rosé is enough to dispel any thought that a good sparkling wine must be white. Made from 100% Pinot Noir, you might pay big money for this quality from another region. It brings a Champagne-like savouriness to the fore before the zinging red fruits tantalize the taste buds. Certainly one for those special gatherings around the BBQ.

At the end of last month I posted a story about Europe attempting to legalise the blending of red and white wine to make rosé. There had been much anger from wine producers, particularly in France and Italy, who believed, if passed, this law would undermine the industry of authentic rosé. You can view this post here.

So I was quite happy when I caught the article below on Decanter News this morning. It looks like European wine makers have been cut some slack, for the time being anyway.

The EU has announced it will drop plans to allow red and white wines to be blended to make rosé, agriculture minister Mariann Fischer Boel announced today.

The announcement comes after months of strong lobbying from wine-producing countries in Europe, including France and Italy.

Producers and lobbyists argued that allowing the blending of red and white wines to make rosé – a method legal in New World wine countries and, ironically, Champagne – would destroy the ‘nobility’ of the more traditional method of maceration used in Europe.

‘It’s become clear over recent weeks that a majority in our wine sector believe that ending the ban on blending could undermine the image of traditional rosé,’ said Fischer Boel. ‘I am always prepared to listen to good arguments – that’s why I am making this change’

The blending plans were drawn up to allow EU to be competitive with New World rosé producers and would have only been allowed in the production of Table Wines.

Sourced from www.decanter.com/news 8/6/09

Rosé wines are traditionally produced using a special technique of leaving the crushed red grapes to soak with macerating white grapes. But blending red and white wines will also produce a rosé of sorts, and that, says the European Union, is what’s needed by French, Spanish and Italian winemakers to attract new markets such as China.

The intention is to legalise the blending of white and red wine. Only 2% red wine is required to provide the colour close to a normal rosé. The European regulations would allow winemakers with a global reach to unload large quantities of unwanted white wine.

The point of the E.U. decision makers is to have the ability to make extremely cheap, accessible plonk to cater for countries, like China, where wine sales have seen year on year growth within a massive market. Increasing exports can only benefit Europe.

The issue with those within the wine industry is that the aromas and the harmony and balance between acidity, alcohol and smoothness is neglected with this process. Therefore, there is fierce opposition to the idea of calling it ‘rosé’, which compromises the economy of genuine rosé wine.

In a recent statement, French Agriculture Minister, Michel Barnier, opposed the blending law. “We need to preserve the flavour and quality of local rosé wines. I like rosé, but I will not drink adulterated rosé.”

However, Barnier has come under fire from former French farming activist, Jose Bove, who branded him a “liar”. At the original vote on the European wine reforms in January this year, the French delegation, of which Barnier was a part of, chose not to vote against the plans, which included the rosé legislation.

The E.U. is expected to vote in favour of the proposed reform on June 19th.