NEWS: EU backtracks, prohibits blended rosé

The EU decided that it would not permit red and white wines to be blended to make rosé after all:

http://www.decanter.com/news/284148.html

I've always wondered about this. It never seemed like such a bad thing to add a little bit of red for color, body, tannin, or what have you. However, I can also see Chateau Cache Floe cynically taking some white wine that isn't selling, adding red wine, and the result is junk.

Walt

There is a “golden rule” to blending; you can’t blend a “bad” wine with a “good” wine to get a “good” wine. If the blending produces a much “better” wine I see no problem with it. But IMHO the “best” Rosé wines are going to be those made from red grapes specifically grown and made for Rosé style wines.

Salute

That's the other thing I've always wondered about rose production. How can you possibly make a decent rosé by bleeding off the juice meant for a red wine? There is a local winery that does this, making a 15%+ alcohol "rosé".

So really there are three methods of production: mixing white and red, bleeding juice ultimately meant for red wine, and making 100% of the juice into rosé from the start. I bet my favorite producers all do the latter.

Walt

Walt,
The purpose of “bleeding” is to increase your solids (skins) to juice ratio and hopefully produce a more full-bodied, concentrated red wine. The Rosé is just an “after thought”, another wine to add to your portfolio. Absolutely red grapes could be specifically grown and harvested (usually earlier in the harvest season- when the sugar and acid are in balance) for the production of Rosé wines. But then again the “bled” wine can be blended with a white wine to balance the acidity and alcohol and produce a “decent” Rosé.

Salute

Believe or not, opposition to this EU blending proposal was being used as an argument by the French nationalist euro-phobic parties in campaigning for last Sunday's European elections.

Believe or not, opposition to this EU blending proposal was being used as an argument by the French nationalist euro-phobic parties in campaigning for last Sunday's European elections.

Wow! Protect the true rosé at all costs...

Walt

[James Roscoe]

Here is the story in this morning's Washington Post.

Maybe there is room for a new category "Pink" to cover red and white (and sugar) mixes?