Choosing the right Rosé can be a tough gig for anyone and when it’s the glass kicking off your first Friday wine you don’t want to get it wrong. Do you go dark, pale, sweet, dry, floral, with bubbles? All questions we ask ourselves, all answers most of us have absolutely zero clues about.
It’s a whirlwind of choice out there in the big bad wine world, which is why betting on French Rosé will always be a sure thing for any occasion. Not only is it refreshing and tastes delicious, but it’s approachable while still looking damn fancy. It’s easy to choose even for the most green of wine novices and it’s the pink drink on everyone’s lips this season.
But, what sets French Rosé apart from all the other Rosés out there and what exactly should you be looking for in a good drop?
1. France is the motherland of traditional, dry Rosé
There are many things to love about the French; their cheese, the shopping, their capacity to be impeccably polite and startlingly dismissive at the same time. But nothing quite stands out as much as their ability to produce dry, pale and crisp Rosé.
France leads the way in Rosé production, both in quality and quantity, with Spain just behind them producing ‘rosado’. So naturally, just like anything done with great repetition, you’re bound to become pretty darn good at it and Rosé is something the French are rather fond of. Practice makes perfect etc etc.
2. Simple and refreshing
French Rosé wines, like the French themselves, are known for not being over complicated. They take simple things and make them great. The mark of a good French Rosé is its ability to be dry and refresh. Usually light, crisp, pale and only mildly aromatic, it’s a wine that moves perfectly from afternoon to night. French Rosés typically present subtle summer fruits like raspberry, melon and peach and work well with seafoods, salads and light meats.
3. Go pale or go home
It’s hard to go wrong with anything from the South of France where the regions are known for producing those ‘salmon coloured or pale pink’ wines which are usually dry, subtle and refreshing. The paler Rosés are easy drinking, sessionable wines and it’s important to note that Rosé wines are not produced to age, you’ll rarely find a bottle that’s more than one or two years old and if you do, caution to you.
So, while colour is not always indicative of quality, sometimes it’s better to hedge your bets and go straight for pale. This way you won’t be disappointed.
4. The Rosé way of life
Without waxing lyrical and obnoxious about the beauty of the French way of life and all their sense of luxury and poise, drinking wine truly is a part of their DNA. It’s something that’s enjoyed, appreciated and studied rather than guzzled and gulped before going out. Rosé is a way of life and the French are all about drinking it as an experience rather than an activity.
But hey, we also get that sometimes you just can’t help yourself. Sometimes it’s hard not to polish off a whole bottle of French Rosé in one sitting, at Rosé Imports we’ve been known to do that more times than a few. We’d say that’s a sign of a pretty good drop, if you ask us.
About Rose Imports
Originating from Sydney, Australia - the founding members of Rosé Imports have varied and extensive experience, including close relationships in the Sydney hospitality industry and personal knowledge of the Rosé regions in the South of France. Rosé Imports was developed to fill a gap in the Sydney market - great tasting, affordable Rosé that can be drunk at any time of the year.