Do you remember your very first sip of wine? Chances are it was pink and chances are you felt wildly sophisticated, if you are like most of us. If, on the other hand, you are new to wine then you, too, should begin your journey with a rosé. Why? Because this is a journey of style. We are not so much interested in the grape variety (although that is important). We are interested in finding out what SORT of wine we like. Style varies wildly, even in the same grape. So you may very well like some Chardonnays, and dislike others. Rosés display a whole host of styles, and they are typically inexpensive, and easy to like. In fact, some have moved on and look with disdain upon those rosé-tinged days. But we consider pink wines youthful, almost innocent, great reminders of days gone by and the perfect place to begin your adventure in wine tasting!

Way back in 1940, Almaden Vineyards produced the first varietal rosé in America. It was very popular but suffered P.R. problems with most wine afficianados, i.e. it was not taken very seriously by the serious wine drinker. You might ask, "Who drinks wine to be serious?" As it turns out, certainly not the majority of Americans. Already the most popular premium wine in the U.S., in the 1980's we were buying Sutter Home's famous White Zinfandel in enormous quantities. Production was increased from 25,000 cases in 1981 to over three million in 1990 to meet demand. Serious bucks for a not-so-serious wine. But tastes have changed. America is growing up and our collective palates have become more sophisticated. Cabernet Sauvignon has now become the most planted grape in California overtaking Zinfandel and the market share for pink wines is on the decrease. But these are trends. Wine should be about enjoyment and on hot summer evenings, nothing beats barbequed ribs and a cold glass of rosé!

There are many ideas floating around as to the origin of the pink color in a rosé. It is not, as many believe, a mixture of red and white wines. All pink wines, with the exception of pink champagne, come from purple grapes (known as black grapes in the wine biz). And most any purple grape will do, zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, grenache. The pink color in a rosé does come from the limited contact time with the skins of the grapes. The juice of all grapes runs pretty much clear. If you increase the duration of contact between the juice and the skins, the resulting wine will be darker. It makes sense that red wines have had considerable contact time, whites have had little to no contact time, and rosés, of course, somewhere in between. So the juice picks up just enough color from the skins to shade the wine pink. But there is something else that contact with grape skins gives to wine, namely tannins. They can affect the texture or feel of the wine in the mouth, and also act as preservatives during the aging process. Since red wines have had considerable contact with the skins, the youthful tannins can be a bit astringent. Reds generally require a certain amount of bottle-aging to fully mature and smooth out. But because pink wines have had little skin contact they contain very low levels of tannins. Therefore, they should be drunk young and fresh. Look for bottles dated within the last year or so. They will contain the lively and refreshing flavor we have come to expect from rosés.