Rosé Wine - is there a snobbery?

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Hmm, I'm wondering about this, as I think I heard it mentioned somewhere before, maybe I'm imagining it.

Is there a snobbery among wine-y types to look down their noses at Rosés and people who drink them?

My mother loves Mateus, she has done since being to Portugal, and I must say, I do enjoy a glass of it aswell on occasion, especially in the warm weather.

She recently came by another Rosé, made with the Zinfandel grape, I'm sorry, I can't remember the name of the particular wine, but I thought it was absolutely lovely.

I'm no wine expert, far from it, but I do know that I don't like red, and can have the occasional glass of sweet white, and sparkling white aswell.

So, is there a snobbery?

Can anyone recommend a nice Rosé - perhaps made with the Zinfandel?

(Apologies if I've made a boo-boo even mentioning Rosé here )

Nevyn

Yes there is a snobbery due to how it is made.
They 'wash out' the casks of a good red wine with an inferiour white to 'make'
róse.

fits

I think it is changing. There are some really nice dry rose s out there. The french tend to drink rose at lunchtime.
I had one in Fallon and Byrne's recently and it was absolutely gorgeous.
There is a snobbery about the sweet wines (sweet roses and whites) I think they're minging and yes people would look down on those as not being 'real wines'.

olaola

I like Bandol - down around the Cote D'Azur it is very popular.
I don't drink it much, but it is lovely on a hot day to laze around with a buildeal!

There is a wine bar on Exchequer Street that has a really nice Rose.
Can't remember what it is called though!

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Thaedydal wrote:

Yes there is a snobbery due to how it is made.
They 'wash out' the casks of a good red wine with an inferiour white to 'make'
róse.

I get the feeling you aren't a fan of Rosé then?

However, it seems you have only described one way of production?

From here

The third method, the simple adding of red wine to a white to impart color, is discouraged in most wine growing regions

Indeed :

From here

the production of rose wines obtained by blending white and red wines is forbidden by law in all wine countries of the world. The only rose wines that can be made this way are the base wines used for the production of classic method sparkling wines, such as Champagne and Franciacorta.

fits wrote:

There is a snobbery about the sweet wines (sweet roses and whites) I think they're minging and yes people would look down on those as not being 'real wines'.

Well, me being no connoisseur, I'd like to know why this is?

Is something added to the sweet ones to make them unnatural?

rediguana

Sean South - it is legal to add sugar to the must (pre-fermented wine juice) in some regions under some circumstances (usually when the ripening season is poor and there isn't enough natural sugar in the grape to give enough alcohol in the finished wine). I think it's called "Chapitalization". Anyway, this added sugar ferments to zero in most wines.

In sweet wines (Sauternes, Eiswein etc), the grapes have extremely concentrated sugar levels (because of fungus and ice respectively). The juice is fermented as usual. But, at a certain point, because of the high sugar levels, high alcohol is reached. This kills off the yeasts before all of the sugar can ferment. E voila - sweet wine. In fact, fermentation can be stopped by man at any point, leading to a range of sweet wine styles.

I didn't realise there was any snobbery about sweet wines (I'll come to Rose next!). There certainly shouldn't be. The best can be just as prestigious as the best Bordeauxs.

OP & Roses - I think there IS a little snobbery about Roses. But, again, I think it's unjustified. Rose is what it is, inexpensive, easygoing, pretty wine for summery weather. I think Zinfandel in rose form has a bad reputation alright (isn't it called "Blush"?). There are very nice rose wines from Anjou (France) and Provence (France). I would gravitate towards these regions for Rose. The former is made from Pinot Noir (and not Cabernet Franc as you might imagine from that area), the latter generally from Grenache. Chill well and enjoy. Only morons will look down on you for drinking Rose. Spend over E12 though.

fits

by sweet wine, I was referring to the liebfraumilch kind, rather than dessert wine.
But I dunno much about wine.

tabatha

well i like all kinds off wines (my fav being green wines) but i do like the odd glass of Zinfandel. my favourite would be "white zinfandel". its a sweet roses from calafornia. it is one of americas most popular wines. its very easy to drink so hence its popularity.

dudara

I love Zinfandels personally. There is a Tesco finest Californian Zinfandel (approx 6.50) which I love, and Aldi also have a very nice one.

I also recently had a nice tart rose at a friends house, but for the life of me, I cannot remember it. If I do, I'll let you know.

rediguana

fits wrote:

by sweet wine, I was referring to the liebfraumilch kind, rather than dessert wine.
But I dunno much about wine.

People definitely look down on Liebfraumilch. I've never actually drunk it, so I can't really comment on its merits. A lot of cheaper German whites traditionally have been sweetish.

fits

rediguana wrote:

People definitely look down on Liebfraumilch. I've never actually drunk it, so I can't really comment on its merits. A lot of cheaper German whites traditionally have been sweetish.

Well they're mingin Dont try them. I have had some nice german wines but when they're bad, they're really bad.

OP you drink whatever you like and dont mind what ever is in fashion or if people look down on it. And theres no harm in trying something new either.

I really like a good rose myself, its a lovely drink on a sunny afternoon, but the quality is so hit and miss that it can be hard to buy.

MoominPapa

had my first bottle of rose this year at the w/e Gran Feudo, absolutely delish, perfect for lunch or Sunday nights when you fancy wine but need to be able to get up for work without too much difficulty

Zaph

tabatha wrote:

well i like all kinds off wines (my fav being green wines) but i do like the odd glass of Zinfandel. my favourite would be "white zinfandel". its a sweet roses from calafornia. it is one of americas most popular wines. its very easy to drink so hence its popularity.

happy_acid_face

MoominPapa wrote:

had my first bottle of rose this year at the w/e Gran Feudo, absolutely delish, perfect for lunch or Sunday nights when you fancy wine but need to be able to get up for work without too much difficulty

Was going to recommend that also! Think it won an award or two a little while back... Canteladette also have a lovely refreshing rose that id be very quick to recommend!

If you want to go outside the box a little a must to try would be Jacobs Creek Sparkling Rose. Another deliciously refreshing rose!

bonkey

seansouth wrote:

So, is there a snobbery?

"Jein", as they say in this part of the world.

I think a lot of it comes from the notion that with a gourmet meal (French-style), you might have a glass of Champagne as an aperitif, a white with your (fish/white-meat) starter, a red with your (red meat) main course, and a Sauternes with your dessert.

Rose doesn't come into that picture. Rose, in that picture, is what you put i a picnic basket for a mid-day lunch of bread, cheese and perhaps some cold meats in the sunshine. It has, therefore, no place at a gourmet table and is thus a "lesser" wine because of it.

Of course, its all rubbish, and wine drinkers are increasingly aware of it.

The best lesson I ever got about wine was before I even drank the stuff, when I read an excellent article entitled "red with lino, white with carpet", suggesting that the ease with which spills can be cleaned up was a more valid reason to choose your wines then the archetypal "match the colour of your meat".

Today, I have a very simple philosophy. If you like it, its a good wine for you. If you don't, its not.

If you think a crisp Chardonnay is what goes best with your blue steak, then you order that.

If you think an Oeil de Perdrix is the dog's, then go for that.

If someone has the nerve to tell you you're drinking the wrong wine, tell them that you aren't because you are drinking it and not them

MoominPapa

happy_acid_face wrote:

Canteladette also have a lovely refreshing rose that id be very quick to recommend!

Where do you get that? Had a quick look round and can't see it anywhere

rediguana

There is a useful and seasonal article on Rose wines in this month's "Food & Wine" magazine. Raymond Blake, the paper's esteemed Wine Editor, isn't at all sniffy about pink wines.

If you see the term "saignee" on a bottle, this is a good sign. It refers to the best method of production, whereby the colour in Rose is derived from leaving the juice in contact with the dark skins for a day or so. This contrasts with the cheaper way of just mixing red with wine wine to give pink.

O'Briens will be promoting a gorgeous Rose for the month of May. It'll be E10.99 down from E12.99. It's from the Loire and it's made from Pinot Noir. I tried it yesterday evening in a staff tasting and everyone went crazy for it.

If you don't want to buy "Food & Wine" (you should though, it's great), here are the three outstanding Roses from the twenty they tasted:

1) Tarapaca (Chile, 2004). Cabernet Sauvignon. Gleesons are the distributors. ***E9.95

2 ) Lawson's Dry Hills (New Zealand, 2004). Available from Thomas' (Foxrock), Redmond's (Ranelagh), McCabes (Mount Merrion and Foxrock); and through Febvre also. ***E17.49

3) Alain Gueneau, Sancerre, La Guiberte (France, 2005). Available through the same channels as #2 above. ***E22.49

The Aldi one - Badger's Creek NV - from Petit Verdot, Shiraz and Colombard, gets a very good review too. This one is just E5.99.

The one to avoid? Gran Fuedo (sorry, Ampersand), apparently.

cmurph

i love rose wine....so easy to drink.:)

there is a few i like,

1. gallo..
2. blossom hill
3. bend in the river
4. tesco finest rose

Hagar

Snobbery abounds. Where I live the locals, that includes me now, refuse to pay more than 1,25€ per litre.

happy_acid_face

MoominPapa wrote:

Where do you get that? Had a quick look round and can't see it anywhere

Unfortunatly the vintage wont be ready for another month so it will be then before you start seeing it on shelves again. McHughs on the Kilbarrack Road and on the Malahide road do stock it though. If they're nowhere near you I'll find out the supplier and post it up tomorrow night. If you ring them they should be able to tell you when they are exactly they are bringing it in and point you to an Off Licence closer to where you are.

MoominPapa

rediguana wrote:

The one to avoid? Gran Fuedo (sorry, Ampersand), apparently.

Its a great mag alright but no Gran Feudo?

Cheers happy_acid_face I'm in Dundrum so fairly well served by Devenys in the village, Oddbins in Churchtown and Redmonds in Ranelagh I'll keep an eye out at the end of next month