Opinion | Rosé wine isn’t all pastel pink and bland – artisan rosés have depth and complexity. But try telling the average drinker that

While it is true that many commercially available rosé wines inspire nothing but a big yawn, it’s a mistake to overlook a rosé in favour of a red or white

There are rosés, produced with the same passion and attention that goes into red wines, that you’ll never find at a supermarket – you just have to look for them

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Rosé wine is poured into glasses at Weingut Klosterhof Töplitz, Germany in 2016. Despite its bad rep, there are rosé wines that have just as much depth and flavour as a classy red or white. Photo: Getty Images

Yulia Ezhikova

Published: 4:45pm, 15 Jul 2022

So for this next trick I will require you to sit still and let go. Your eyelids grow heavy, you exhale slowly and feel your body relax completely. You’re almost asleep, calm and defenceless, and you let me serve you a glass of rosé …

Sometimes it seriously feels like hypnosis is my only option for pouring guests anything other than a red Burgundy or Bordeaux. And while it is true that many commercially available rosés inspire nothing but a big yawn, it’s a mistake to overlook this wine category.

Contrary to popular belief, rosé is not a blend of a white and red wines. With the Champagne region being the only notable exception, most rosés are a product of maceration – a process whereby grape skins are left to rest in the fruit’s juice for a period of time.

Since it is the skins that contain the key structural components of a wine – colour, tannin, flavour and aromatic compounds – the length of maceration is the defining factor in the style of a wine.

Contrary to popular belief, rosé is not a blend of a white and red wines. Photo: Getty Images

Typical rosés that flood supermarket shelves at the onset of summer are produced by a brief maceration to lightly colour the wine without giving it much substance in terms of structure and flavour. Often a blend of a few grape varieties, these wines look and taste remarkably alike – pastel pink, vaguely fruity, refreshing and often a tad sweet.