The Rules for Making Rosé

Surely some of you must have seen the NYT article yesterday about the EU proposing to relax the rules governing the making of Rosé, and the reaction by many French wine makers. Here's the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/09/busin ... ref=dining
This is one of those issues that pits the traditionalist in me against the pragmatist in me, and I was curious about what all of you thought. On the one hand I AM in favor of preserving tradition - dang these modern industrial degenerates with their soul-less cheating short-cutting ways! On the other hand, does in make any sense at all to try to legislate these things? Why not let the market sort it out and allow labeling to differentiate between the two methods. Your thoughts?

Well, here's the question: other than Champagne, are there any examples of quality roses made by blending? I guess I'm not opposed to the idea, so long as the are required to identify which method has been used. But I just can't imagine the idea has any potential.

'let the market sort it out' - how very American - in other words most of the rest of the world doesn't get it. 'rely on labeling'? how? require blenders to say so? thats letting the market sort it out all right! hoping that everyone will label their products in a clear - not to metion accurate - way? holy faith in god, batman!

the impetus apparently was to help europe fight the new world - which has no rules for anything. so, to make it easier to compete against new world rose's - which certainly can be blended and often are - lets make their practices legal here. if we don't think we can beat them, then we think we should join them.

of course traditional french producers think they can beat them. they have just seen their traditional rose surpase white wine sales in france and also rising in the US. so, its like the country girl: "i'll dance with who brung me".

i'm with the traditionalists - keep the industrialists away from my wine.

Being a man of some traditional bent, I remain in favor of making rose wines entirely from red (or black if you prefer the term) grapes.

Hell, one doesn't have to blend reds and whites. I have an even quicker way. Next time you have several thousand bottles of truly mediocre and rather dull white wine, turn it pink by adding 2 - 3 drops per liter of diluted sulphuric acid. Turns the wine rose petal pink in seconds and even adds a bit of tangy acidity. The few drops of acid won't hurt a soul. Scout's honor.

Heck, even better, alcohol, water, a bit of pink dye and some fruit juice concentrate (recommended are strawberry and raspberry).

Yup....I'm for traditional!!!!!

Best
Rogov

I am in favour of imposing the traditional method for AOC, DOC and the equivalent rosés and relaxing the rules for mass market commercial brands. This should be compatible with the three tier system which the INAO was proposing a year ago but perhaps this has fallen by the wayside.

I guess that the core opposition is coming from mediocre producers who are afraid that the better brands born out of the relaxation will seduce customers away from their indifferent plonk. I don't think that quality and QPR producers will suffer if they produce a product with personality.

At the present time, the French government is even more likely than usual to give in to pressure of this kind. Even though France is suffering less from the recession than most other European countries and the USA, social discontent is close to boiling point and the government is clearly apprehensive about adding to it.

The French have been blending white wines, of some indeterminate variety, into Rhone reds for hundreds of years. They don't bother telling anyone how much of your red wine is white. Heck, they don't even tell you what the RED wine variety is. Why should anyone have a problem if it makes good wine. If it makes trash wine, then they have more of it to flush down the river or to turn it into fire water.

The French have been blending white wines, of some indeterminate variety, into Rhone reds for hundreds of years. They don't bother telling anyone how much of your red wine is white.

Any particular appellation(s) you have in mind?

[David M. Bueker]

Neil is hopefully using a little hyperbolic license. Of course Cote Rotie allows the blending of Viognier into Syrah, and some of the permissible grapes for Chateauneuf du Pape are white, but there are very strict rules for each AOC.

I wouldn't mind a compromise where rosé could be made from white & red grapes, but only if they are co-fermented.

I find this comment from the Times story truly astounding:

Andrew Chapman, European sales director for Sutter Home, a U.S. producer that exports around 100,000 cases of wine to Europe — around a fifth of which are rosé — thinks Europeans should be thanking America, not castigating it. “The Californians have made rosé popular,” said Mr. Chapman, who works in Lyon. Marketing by makers of U.S wines including Gallo and Diageo has raised the profile of the product, he said: “It has become fashionable to drink rosé.”

Fact: Sutter Home very nearly killed the market for dry rosé wines in the U.S. by bringing us that glorious concoction known as white zinfandel. As a retailer, I have devoted thousands of hours to convincing Americans that not all pink wine is sweet. How the Times could let this statement stand without challenging it simply boggles the mind.

Neil is hopefully using a little hyperbolic license. Of course Cote Rotie allows the blending of Viognier into Syrah, and some of the permissible grapes for Chateauneuf du Pape are white, but there are very strict rules for each AOC.

I wouldn't mind a compromise where rosé could be made from white & red grapes, but only if they are co-fermented.

David, yes it was a little TIC. Hence the smilie.

We tasted a Sauvignon Blanc Rose recently that got it colour from blending in some syrah. We we left wondering why they had bothered.

[David M. Bueker]

I figured as much Neil. I just don't always see the smilies on my Blackberry screen.

Marketing by makers of U.S wines including Gallo and Diageo has raised the profile of the product, he said: “It has become fashionable to drink rosé.”

What a laugh! Gallo and Diageo fashionable? `Nuff said.

well, neil et al - there is the problem: sauvignon blanc rose? even the name is a contradiction and such a label should be perfectly legal unless the TTB has more sense than i think. since it takes far less than 25% red wine to turn white into rose, all the white grapes can have rose counterparts - chardonnay rose is just the beginning. in fact i don't know why we haven't seen more so far in this country.

What would you call a still (without bubbles) Champagne cuvee? IMHO a Chardonnay Rose (Chardonnay blended with some Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier) is not so far fetched, ”still” Champagne if you will. Besides its not so bad tasting either, and I personally find it very pleasant to drink. But just by adding some bubbles you add a whole new dimension and could get a lot more money for it. Now Neil’s Sauvignon Blanc Rose that’s an animal of a “different color” (unless of course it was a cuvee to become a “sparkling wine”). If he said that he had a Syrah Rose (blended with some Sauvignon Blanc that would be an animal of a totally “different color”.

Salute

sauvignon blanc rose?

The very idea...ugh, ugh, ugh, who would drink it?

i know that i live in 'anti regulatory heaven' even with a democrat in the white house; but there really are and could be some egregious abuses of the varietal labeling laws as they exist. to be able to blend 25% of another varietal and still call it the name of the dominant one can be crazy. there used to be lots of chardtraminers - chards blended with gewurtz to make them more appealing - i remember one Martini version in particular. fortunatly they seem to be gone; but should not be forgotten. it should be against labeling rules to blend completely opposite styles of wines and still have varietal labeling. but of course the TTB isn't really set up to be the wine police - would probably need tasting panels but also would need experts to be on them. our type of government just isn't set up this way.

wasn't there a chardonnay blush at one time? i might even have sold it.