Rosé doesn’t just have to be a summer tipple – something you drink when it’s really hot and you don’t feel like a cold beer. People are realising it’s a wine in its own right – and here are three simple rules that make Rosé a winter wine so you can enjoy it all year round without things getting weird!
As winter looms once again over Australia and the southern hemisphere, it’s easy for us to reach for big bold reds and elbow lighter whiter wines to one side.
Rosé – being neither red nor white – straddles the boundaries of body and depth of flavour, but seems to find itself on the shelf faster than most white wine when the temperatures start to drop.
However, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy a bit of crisp, flavoursome pink in the winter months just as much as when the sun’s that much closer to Earth. You just have to change a couple of things about how you drink it.
Here are our three rules for making Rosé more than just a summer tipple.
3 rules for drinking Rosé in winter
Rosé may well be the perfect summer drink. Driven by the realisation that the crisp, fresh, dry flavours of southern French style Rosé, people have discovered this wine is ideal for hot summer days. But do you have to stop drinking Rosé just because the mercury drops?
Here are our top tips for drinking Rosé when you’re snuggled up in the heart of winter and you’re between that call for cocoa or a glass of good whisky.
1. Don’t chill it too much or drink it too cold
Many people don’t realise they’re probably drinking all of their wine at the wrong temperature – either their white wine too cold or their reds too warm. Here’s more on what the perfect temperature is for your wine.
With Rosé, there’s a bit more scope. You can chill your pink a bit more than most whites without it just tasting like fridge, but when it’s cold outside, just having your Rosé at cool room temperature – similar to the correct temps for things like Pinot Noir – will release more flavour and tannins from the wine.
This is great for a dark night in front of the fire – and if you’re looking for that added romance bonus, drinking Rosé means you won’t be left with the dreaded Red Wine Smile!
2. Drink it from a red wine glass
Now you’ve got your Rosé to a warmer temperature, why not treat it more like a red wine. Put it in a more robust-looking red wine glass? It’s surprising what a change of receptacle will do subconsciously.
We were also surprised at how the shape of a wine glass can dramatically change the taste of a wine. A larger red wine glass will most likely release more aroma (And therefore flavour) from your Rosé, which is what you’re looking for in a winter drink.
3. Choose a sharper, drier Rosé
The flavour profile you’re probably not looking for in a winter wine is something too fruity or sweet. Some Rosé – especially the darker pink ones – are very passionfruit driven. Look for drier, lighter coloured Rosés that are in the Provencal style.
A dry Rosé will tend to be crisper and also deal with being a bit warmer without loosing that characteristic flavour and body.
We’ve tried quite a few Rosés recently – here are some of our favourites and the favourites of our friends The Wine Saints. If you want to try something different, this pink sauv blanc from New Zealand winery Ta_Ku called Sauvignon Blanc Pink will respond well to the winter months. It’s made with Sauvignon Blanc grapes but with a 6% dash of Pinot Noir added for that blush.
Do you drink Rosé only in summer? What’s your favourite winter tipple – other than Rosé now of course? Tell us in the comments.