what is rose wine

Rosé wine is a type of wine that is made from red grapes, but it is not a red wine. The skins of the grapes are left in contact with the juice for only a short time, which gives the wine its signature pink color. Rosé wines can be made from a variety of grape varieties, including Grenache, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Sangiovese, and Cinsault, to name a few. The primary flavors of rosé wine are red fruit, flowers, citrus, and melon, with a pleasant crunchy green flavor on the finish similar to celery or rhubarb. Rosé wines can be made still, semi-sparkling or sparkling and with a wide range of sweetness levels from highly dry Provençal rosé to sweet White Zinfandels and blushes. The most common way to produce rosé wine is through the maceration method, where red wine grapes are let to rest, or macerate, in the juice for a period of time and afterward the entire batch of juice is finished into a rosé wine. Rosé wines are diverse, and not quite as light as most white wines, but much brighter and lighter-bodied than red wines.