Buying guide: Rosé

The sun-drenched south of France is synonymous with one style of wine: rosé. Wander past the bistros in the trendy seaside resorts of Cannes, St. Tropez or Cassis, and you'll notice that the locals typically drink not white, not red, but pink with their bouillabaisse.

 

Rosé has become an institution in that part of the world, because of the need for a dry wine that's refreshing enough to be drunk on a hot summer's day but still bears some relation to the red wine so revered by the French in general. And yet rosé is today horribly unfashionable elsewhere. Why is this so?

Portugal's Mateus Rosé, at one point a huge marketing success, ultimately did pink wine's reputation no favours. Production began at the end of the Second World War, and sales grew rapidly so that by the late '80s, together with a white version, it accounted for over 40% of Portugal's total table wine exports, worldwide sales amounting to 3,25 million cases.

However, Mateus was originally designed to be slightly sweet in order to appeal to the developing North American and northern European markets. As these markets became more sophisticated, they abandoned the simple pleasures of Mateus, which had a knock-on effect on rosé in general.

Rosé's status was also affected by the fashionable preference for white in California during the '80s. A lot of very ordinary pink stuff dubbed "blush wines" were put on the market, with an ultimately deleterious effect on consumer perceptions of the style.

But the truth is there is much to recommend rosé, with the best examples being not sweet, but dry and full of character. Because of the refreshment it offers, it is ideally suited to hot climates as well as being a surprisingly good food match.

Qualities to look for are crispness and freshness, which tends to eliminate older vintages. In addition, fine rosé wines should display prominent fruit, balanced by good acidity. (Essential to facilitate food compatibility, as they do not possess much tannin.) They are not wines to dwell over too long, but best glugged joyfully.

Cape Town and its environs are similar in many ways to Provence. Both are cloaked in vineyards and smothered in sunshine for most months of the year. Both attract hordes of thirsty tourists, requiring a beverage that can be consumed in copious amounts, but is affordable enough to be ordered without a moment's contemplation. If rosé is the drink of choice in Provence, why not in Cape Town?

The WINE magazine panel tasted a line-up of 58 local examples and two imported. It proved an arduous and debilitating exercise. Only two wines, Wellington Cellar Pinotage Rosé 2003 and Vinfruco's Arniston Bay 2003 managed 3 Stars.

Thirteen wines received just 1 Star, implying they were no more than average or acceptable, while nine wines received no star at all. Cold comfort is that the two imported wines, the Mateus NV and the Guilbaud Freres Cabernet d'Anjou 2001, were among those that failed to be rated.

Tony Mossop, panel chairman and Cape Wine Master, pointed out that the large variation in residual sugars complicated judging to some degree, and recommended that the benchmark be dry rosé from the South of France.

Many of the wines showed dull fruit and lacked freshness. One possible reason is the use of the saignée method: running off or bleeding a certain amount of free-run juice from just-crushed dark skinned grapes after a short, pre-fermentation maceration. In many instances, this bleeding off is done to improve concentration in the ultimate red wine, with the resulting rosé simply a by-product.

It was suggested that grapes picked for the production of quality red wine tended to be too ripe for good rosé, resulting in wines ultimately lacking freshness and acidity.

Mossop confessed he tended to score the sweeter wines down. Allan Mullins, Cape Wine Master and wine selection manager for Woolworths, pointed out that the panel was not the target market for this style of wine. "Kids at a matric dance would rate these wines entirely differently."

Chris Kelly, Stellenbosch Vineyards' head winemaker, felt the line-up was poor by any standards, and suggested "a split (in producers) between those who don't care what the public drink and those who don't understand what the public drink". Flagstone winemaker Bruce Jack thought that "No one actually sets out to make a [serious] rosé - and I think that's a missed opportunity."

The point was made, however, that rather than being a "geek" wine, rosé was more a "situation" wine. As Jack put it: "If Champagne owns the celebration situation, then rosé owns outdoor living - it's perfect for picnics, around the swimming pool or at the beach."

Jack added an interesting insight: apparently his Semaphore rosé was well received by the UK gay community. "I don't know if that's because we advertise in a gay publication or if it's the sailor boys on the label," he quipped, before adding that the product was marketed in a way that "reflected the sophistication of that consumer".

Not raised in discussion, but an interesting point to contemplate is whether or not South Africa has the right varieties for rosé production. A constant challenge with making fine pink wine is to know how pink to make it (how long to keep the wine on the skins), and, in turn, how to control any astringency associated with those skins. Cinsaut, Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah, the grapes that prevail in the south of France, all make interesting, aromatic rosé. In addition, Cinsaut and Grenache are well-suited to the production of pink wine as they are generally low in pigments.

Can rosé be rehabilitated? It would appear to offer the consumer a real alternative to ubiquitous Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Not every drinking occasion need be utterly serious, and rosé makes an excellent quaffing wine. Perhaps what is required is for producers to take it just a little bit more seriously as a category, to bring about a sufficient overall improvement in quality for consumers to be able to select it with confidence.

Wellington Cellar Pinotage Rosé 2003
CELLAR PRICE: R14
Deep cerise in colour. Plenty of berry fruit on the nose. Fresh and flavourful on the palate. Juicy fruit matched by crisp and lively acid. Spicy tannins lend interest.

Arniston Bay Rosé 2003 (Vinfruco)
APPROX RETAIL PRICE: R28
Deep garnet in colour. Strawberry tones and some spice on the nose. Juicy fruit and supple,
silky mouthfeel. Relatively full-bodied with
a dry finish.

Odd Bins Merlot Rosé Bin 84 2003 (Shoprite) R14,99
Le Grand Chasseur Rosé NV R15,00
Badsberg Rosé 2003 R17,00
Bergsig Shiraz Rosé 2003 R17,50
Vinay Rosé NV (Slanghoek) (1 litre bottle) R19,00
Goedverwacht Shiraz Rosé 2003 R20,00
Perroquet Rosé Secco 2003 (Louiesenhof) R22,00
Raka Rosé 2003 (Erica) R23,00
Delheim Pinotage Rosé 2003 R24,50
Mystery Tickled Pink 2003 ARP R24,99
Versus Rosé 2003 (Stellenbosch Vineyards) (1 litre bottle) R26,00
Rhebokskloof Rhebok Rosé 2003 R28,00
Five Heirs Rosé 2003 (Lanzerac) R30,00
Hill & Dale Dry Merlot Rosé 2003 (Stellenzicht) ARP R31,35
Goats do Roam Rosé 2002 (Fairview) R32,00
Nelson's Creek Cabernet Rosé 2003 R32,08

Van Loveren River Rosé NV R14,00
Koelenhof Pinotage Rosé 2003 R15,00
Wagenboom Rosé 2003 (Waboomsrivier) R15,00
Avoca Classic Rosé NV (Douglas) R15,50
First Rosé 2003 (McGregor) R15,50
Viljoensdrift Rosé 2003 R16,50
Ruitersvlei Rosé 2003 R17,00
Simonsvlei Rosé 2003 R17,30
De Krans Rosé 2003 R18,00
Fat Ladies Rosé 2003 (Winecorp) ARP R18,00
Quantum Petillant Rosé 2003 (Lost Horizons) ARP R18,00
Dieu Donné Rosé 2003 R19,55
Graça Rosé NV (Distell) ARP R20,35
Nederburg Rosé 2003 R21,00
Sumaridge Dry Rosé 2003 SO R28,00
Sunset Hat Dry Rose Rosé 2003 (Ashanti) R30,00
Newton Johnson Felicité 2003 R31,00
De Leuwen Jagt Rosé 2003 (Seidelberg) R32,00
@ Six Shiraz Cab Rosé 2002 (Stellenbosch Vineyards) R32,00
Seidelberg Rosé 2003 R38,50

Oranjerivier Rosé NV R11,97
Woolworths Perky Pink R15,95
Bonnievale Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2003 R17,20
Porterville Rosé 2003 R18,00
Groot Eiland Rosé 2002 SO R18,90
Bellingham The First Cape Rosé 2003 ARP R21,62
Woolworths Longmarket Rosé 2002 (Villiera) R23,95
Four Cousins Sweet Rosé NV(1 litre bottle) (Van Loveren) R25,00
L'Avenir Rosé Maison 2003 R27,00
Beyerskloof Pinotage Rosé 2003 R28,00
Asara Rosé 2001 R33,00
Jacques de Savoye Barbère 2002 (Vrede en Lust) R39,95
Bloemendal Blosend Rooi Rosé 2002 R45,00

Also tasted
Towerkop Rosé 2003 (Ladismith) R14,50
Swartland Rosé NV R15,00
Kaapslig Skemerlig
Cab S/Merlot Rosé 2003 (Dominion) ARP R19,00
De Zoete Inval Rosé 2003 R20,00
Backsberg Rosé 2002 R21,00
Cloof Rosé 2003 R33,00
SylvanVale Dry Cabernet Rosé 2002 ARP R46,00
Mateus Rosé NV (Portugal) ARP R46,24
Guilbaud Frères Cabernet d'Anjou 2001 (France) ARP R83,00

SO Sold out, ex-cellar
ARP Approximate retail price

WINE TASTERS: Cape Wine Masters Tony Mossop (chairman), Christine Rudman and Allan Mullins; with Stellenbosch Vineyards cellarmaster Chris Kelly and Flagstone cellarmaster Bruce Jack.

PLAYING MATCHMAKER
The lively acidity and palate-clearing playfulness of a well-chilled rosé make it the ideal choice for occasions when a variety of flavours and textures are served. Its fresh fruitiness tends to have a good rapport with:

- canapés
- picnics
- eastern Mediterranean mezze platters featuring feta cheese, olives, dolmades, salami, pickled octopus, tzatziki, humus, taramasalata and melanzane (brinjal pâté)
- Niçoise salads
- fish stews such as bouillabaisse
- black mussels
- Mexican enchiladas
- pizzas
- roast duck with orange and walnut sauce
- roast pork with tarragon, mustard and cream sauce
- French onion soup
- butternut soup

Wine vocab

Saignée: A French term for "bleeding off" juice from just-crushed, black-skinned grapes pre-fermentation to concentrate colour and flavour in a red wine. The juice that is removed is then used to make rosé. This "bled" juice will already be lightly pink because of the time spent on the skins, absorbing certain colour pigments.

Maceration: to steep a substance in liquid - in this case the grape skins in grape juice. With red wines it is an essential part of the process of extracting colour pigment from the black grape skins since most grape juice is clear. Basically, after crushing, the juice spends time in contact with the dark grape skins, and becomes coloured (light pink or red) as a result, depending on the length of time of skin contact, which can vary from a few hours to overnight.