Get on the Rose` Bandwagon

In recent years, Rose` wine has swelled in popularity across the nation.  Everyone seems to have hopped on the Rose` Bandwagon.  Truly, this is one wagon we want to get on!   Here are some fun facts about the latest wine craze. 

The trendy pink drink is not all that new.  Despite its current popularity, Rose` was first made by the ancient Greeks in 7000 BC.  Rose` is a precursor to both red and white wine.

While Rose` can be made using several methods, the simplest explanation is that it is a wine made with only a portion of the color from its grape skins.  Dark red grapes are crushed and left with the skins and juice to soak together for two to three days.  The “must “, (skins and juice), is then pressed, after which the skins are removed as fermentation continues.  The longer the skins remain with the juice, the darker the color of the final product.

Rosé wines can be made using any red grape variety including the Marquette Grape grown in the Harbor Ridge Vineyard.  Others are made with the addition of some white grapes.  This blending introduces all sorts of additional flavors and aromas, making for an interesting and complex final product. 

Rose` wines range from sweet to very dry and everything in between.  The color spectrum includes shades of light pale pink, bright vibrant pink and every hue of pink in-between.  Best served at a white wine temperature (45 degrees), Rose` wines should be consumed within 2-3 years.

Known by the fashionable set as “Summer Water”, Rose` is a perfectly refreshing warm weather drink.  When summer ends, drinking Rose` continues. Not just for poolside parties, this is an incredibly versatile food friendly wine.  Pair it with tart goat cheeses, pastas, seafood, salads and spicy ethnic foods.   Enjoy this adaptable wine at summer barbeques, lady’s luncheons and Thanksgiving dinner.

Harbor Ridge Winery has two Rose` offerings. Our semi-dry, Double Gold Medal Bouquet Rosé introduced in 2016 was aptly named.  A blend of Marchel Foch, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewürztraminer, it abounds with floral and fruity aromas just like a lovely bouquet, then ends with a crisp, but smooth finish.

New in 2019, our dry sparkling Cracklin’ Rose` is crafted with our 2018 estate grown Marquette Grapes.  Effervescent and vivacious with flavors of strawberry and melon, HRW’s newest offering will remind you of warm summer days in Door County. 

Now that you are armed with information about our favorite pink drink, we hope you and your friends will see the world with Rose` in your glasses.