Have you ever wondered which grapes are pink in color that create such a gorgeous wine? Or have you heard that all rose is made by mixing red and white wine? We’re here to debunk some rose myths and to tell you about the phenomenal 2020 vintage we just bottled today!
A few weeks ago, we de-stemmed and pressed cabernet franc and merlot grapes. We allowed the juice to sit on the skins, but only for a short time. Some bins sat for 30 minutes while other sat for a couple of hours. Grape juice gets its color from the skins, so the longer they intermingle once pressed, the darker the color of the juice. Almost all wine grape varietals have clear juice on the inside; white wine is made mostly from the juice that’s pressed and red wine is made from the entire grape. (Bonus info: the skins also impart tannins, that bitter texture you get from many a red wine.)
Our 2020 rose is 90% cabernet franc and 10% merlot, both of which fermented separately in stainless steel tanks. We picked the cabernet franc late in the year when the grapes were fairly underripe, which is desirable for rose, because the color is lighter and the acidity is higher. This often results in a lighter French style rose than a darker version that is typical in America. We pressed a lot more rose of merlot than what is going into this blend; the rest of it will be blended into our Touch of Red.
This rose is a good one – it’s not to be missed! Stay tuned for more information about when it will be released.
(PS: See what we did with that blog title? Where there’s a “Will.” Because our winemaker’s name is Will. Get it?)
