An Introduction to Blush Wines

Many wine experts look down their noses at blushwith the with the ancient Greeks in Rome, Rose in
wines. These experts consider blush wines to be tooEurope today is typically a dry drink rather than the
simple and lacking in complexity. Regardless of whatsweeter blush wines of the United States.
experts think, blush wines are quite popular and areWhite zinfandels
here to stay.White zinfandels were created in 1973 when owner
Making a Blush WineBob Trinchero of Sutter Home Winery, located in
There are several ways of producing a blush wine.Northern California, bled his red zinfandel to make the
First of all, the juice of all grapes is white. It is thejuice more intense. When he decided to vinify the juice
dark-colored skins of the grapes that add tannin andthat he had taken, white zinfandels were born.
color to wine. The first way of making a blush wine isWhite zinfandels might be paired with:
to crush the grapes and leave their skins in with the- Pasta dishes with cream sauces
mix for a given period of time and then rack the- Antipasto
grapes, or remove the stems, seeds and skins. If the- Mild cheeses
period of contact lasts just a short period of time, the- Egg dishes
resulting wine will be a pale pink in color. Typical lengths- Indian cuisine
of time using this method run from about six to eight- Lamb
hours. This type of process is also referred to as- Fresh mozzarella
limited maceration.- Spicy Szechuan dishes
Another way of producing bush wines is called- Thai foods
saignee. This is a bleeding process where some of theYou might try a rose with:
juice from the must, or crushed grapes, is removed- Paella
from the mix before fermenting the juice into wine.- Smoked fish
This results in a more intense red wine. The blush juice- Fresh goat cheeses
that was bled becomes a secondary byproduct which- Olives
can then be made into a blush wine.- Feta
Rose wines can also be made through the pressurage- Prosciutto and melon
method. This involves using white wine grapes with- Mushrooms
dark skins so that the dark skins of the grapes will give- Artichokes
the wine a pink color.Serving blush wines
The final way to make a blush wine is to add someBlush wines should be served when they are young
red wine to a white wine. This method is not usedand when they have been chilled to about 50 degrees
frequently anymore in the wine-making world except inF. Many people prefer to drink blush wines during
the Champagne region of France.warm spring and summer days because of blush
Rosewines' light, crisp taste.
Rose is the traditional blush wine. Probably originating