Rosé Wine in Canada
Everything You Need to Know About Rosé Wine
Rosé wine is for year round enjoyment. In the spring, wineries typically get excited about releasing their latest rosé creation. When the abundance of rosé wines fill the shelves, it’s always a sign that summer is around the corner!
Made with the grapes harvested last fall, rosés are the perfect drink to enjoy after a winter of heavy red wines. Rosés quench your thirst, they are low-ish in alcohol (usually 11-12%) and pair with many spring & summertime foods – especially brunch, lunch, picnic or backyard BBQ fare.
Unlike other styles of wine, around the world rosé wines can be made with any kind of red grapes – a single variety or a blend of several. There are even a few made from a blend of red & white grapes. Winemakers have the liberty to use anything from the vineyard to craft a rosé wine like an artist creating a masterpiece.
It can be hard to know whether you’ll love a Rosé when picking a bottle based on grape variety, price, pink colour or creative labelling. But half the fun with Rosés is discovering new favourites every year – and our Sommeliers are here to help with pro tips:
Savvy Sommelier Tips for Rosé…
- Rule of thumb: drink by Christmas the year that you bought the wine.
- Typically rosé wines come in a clear bottle so you can enjoy the colour before opening the bottle…it will make you thirsty!
- Chill in the fridge for 20-30 mins before serving….as the wine warms up in the sunshine, notice how the aromas & taste change.
- Price points are usually $15 – $30
- Real men drink rosé wines!
- Rosés are not all sweet – trust us! (Pink Zinfandel from California or those called ‘blush’ are often the sweet ones).
How is Rosé wine made?
It’s all in the skins.
The majority of grapes used in winemaking have a white flesh, so when crushed, the juice is white. The skins of red grape varieties – such as Merlot, Gamay Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Franc – contain a red pigment.
After the grapes have been crushed and the juice is collected, the winemaker keeps the grape skins sitting with the juice for a few hours – or a couple of days – in order to achieve the colour that they want for the wine. This is the same winemaking process for red wines, except that for reds, the grape skins are left in the juice much longer – typically for several weeks. Removing the grape skins earlier when making rosé results in a lighter coloured – and lighter tasting – wine.
Savvy Sommelier Shirley loves rosé wine and explains how these wines vary in colour from pale pink to a light almost red wine.
What food to serve with Rosé wine?
Pretty much anything! Rosé wines are very versatile. A bottle can be delicious with appetizers, picnic foods, salads, fish tacos, steamed mussels, quiche, roasted chicken, BBQed pork tenderloin, grilled shrimp, mushroom risotto, pasta salad or fresh pesto pasta with grilled vegetables, homemade pizza with your favorite toppings, spicy Thai, Indian or Mexican dishes.
The Savvy Team got busy in our kitchen to make our favorite recipes that are perfect food pairings with rosé wine.
Check out these videos to learn more:
Rosé wines to enjoy year round
Our team of Savvy Sommeliers has done the ‘guess work’ out of which are the best rosés. We’re continuously sampling the latest releases of rosés made throughout Ontario and across Canada to find the best bottles to feature in our Bouquet of Rosés (a perfect Mother’s Day gift) and Rosé Surprise Packs.
Rosé wines are available throughout the year, while most plentiful in the spring and summer. We curate a 5 bottle assortment of rosé wines – a different selection each month throughout the summer until September. The wines we showcase are not available at the LCBO or in grocery stores – we source directly from the winemakers. You can order a one-off selection from us, or subscribe to auto-magically receive REALLY good rosés delivered to your doorstep all summer long.
There are so many reasons to open a bottle of rosé wine throughout the year – Thanksgiving feast, serve with appetizers at a party or simply pour a glass to remind you of summer during the cold winter days.
Looking for a particular rosé wine? There are always interesting bottles on our online Savvy Store. Or call on our Sommeliers to create an extra special curated gift. 613-SAVVYCO(728-8926) is your Canadian Rosé Wine hotline.