Styles of Rosé - Is all Rosé, Sparkling?
Does a bubbly Rosé come to mind when thinking about Rosé wine? Perhaps, not. However, to many people it is! Rosé is one of the most diverse wine varieties in the world. There are dry, sweet, light-colored, dark-colored, among many other characteristics of Rosé wine due to the many different grapes and methods used to produce it. But, don't worry, this article will help you better understand your favorite bubbly drink: Sparkling Rosé wine!
The science behind Sparkling Rosé
To make a Sparkling Rosé wine, you need to take a Rosé based wine and perform a secondary fermentation on it by adding sugar and yeast. The process gives off CO2 which is reabsorbed by the wine under contained pressure. When the process takes place in large steel tanks or autoclaves, it is known as the Charmat method, and when it takes place in the bottle itself, it is known as the traditional method. The previously mentioned applies also to any other Sparkling wine and not only Rosé.
Grape types used to make Rosé
Is all Rosé made from black grapes? All Rosé is made from black grape varieties, whether it is Sparkling or not; the very same grapes that are used to make red wine. Although some Rosé is made of a blend of white and black grapes, which is the case of Prosecco Rosé.
As you may expect, some grape varieties are preferred when it comes to making Rosé. Some of the most popular are the Grenache and the Pinot Noir grapes, both of which are used by the Born Rosé Barcelona winemakers to make Organic Rosé Wine and Sparkling Rosé Wine, respectively.
Prosecco Rosé vs. Sparkling Rosé
We can say that both Prosecco and Sparkling Rosé are Sparkling wine, though not all Sparkling wine is Prosecco Rosé.
To be labeled Prosecco Rosé, the wine needs to meet quality regulations set by the Italian DOC (denomination of controlled origin), and it needs to come specifically from the northern Veneto region in Italy. It is worth mentioning that Prosecco was recently admitted in 2020 by the DOC as a new style of wine. Thus, Rosé Lovers can now officially enjoy the new Sparkling sensation.
Prosecco Rosé is made with a blend of at least 85% Glera white grapes and 10-15% Pinot Noir black grapes to give Prosecco its distinctive pale salmon hues. This combination gives Prosecco Rosé flavors of apple, pears, and peaches found in standard Prosecco and additional red fruit expressions coming from Pinot Noir-based wine. Some other regulations of Rosé require a fermentation time of at least 60 days in large autoclaves or steel tanks and vintage-dated bottles.
As opposed to Prosecco, Sparkling Rosé does not follow any specific regulations and is produced by different countries each having its own version. We can find a broad range of Sparkling Rosé in the market ranging from very dry to very sweet, and with different aromatic expressions, fresh and fruity flavors. No specific regulations are in for the secondary fermentation of Sparkling Rosé. It can be done in large steel tanks or in bottles depending on the decisions made by the particular winemakers.