On Wine: For summer sipping, you can't beat rosé

Is rosé a white wine with a little red color or a red wine with too little color?

Rosés can be both styles and, in fact, they are legitimate wines that fill a niche at the tasting bar or the table. But don’t be fooled by some pink wines posing as rosés that are bland, sweet fruit bombs, lacking the finesse, balance and acidity of a good rosé such as those from the south of France made from the grenache grape. Taste-tempting rosés are also made today from pinot noir, syrah, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel and a scattering of other red grapes.

The tried-and-true southern Rhone blend of grenache and cinsault imparts a pleasant fruit sweetness that works well with the grapes’ natural acidity, making these wines great with light foods. French rosé styles can be confusing for the American wine drinker who hasn’t done his or her homework. Tavel, d’Anjou and Provence rosés are light in color, even pale pink with a faint orange tint and are deceptively dry, the antithesis of what many American wine drinkers think of as a typical rosé. Although there are various ways to make a pink wine, the preferred method is a short maceration of the juice with the skins of dark-colored grapes to extract the desired amount of color. The amount of color in grape skins varies with the variety; grenache is low in color pigments, requiring a longer maceration, while deeply colored grapes like zinfandel are macerated for shorter periods. The juice is then separated from the skins and fermentation is started as with white wines.

Basic low-end rosés are also made by blending red wine into white wine. Although flavor complexity and depth of color are low compared to macerated wines, the use of blending is common in Champagne. Rosé Champagne is often a blend of chardonnay and pinot noir, sometimes with a bit of pinot meunier. If you happen to be in Amador County, stop by Renwood for a taste of Renwood Sparkling Rosé, a dry pink wine made entirely from zinfandel. Or you can spend $100 or more for a delightful French pink sparkler like Dom Ruinart Rose Champagne.

California rosé winemaking ambled along for years until the late 1980s, when the small and not so popular category of California pink wines moved in a new direction, popularly known as “blush.” The origin of the term has been attributed to the late wine writer, Jerry Mead, as well as to Mill Creek Vineyard in Mendocino County.

But the impressive success of white zinfandel, a “party pink” off-dry quaffing wine, was popularized by Napa’s Sutter Home Winery and latter shared with Beringer Vineyards. Although not a critical success, the popularity of white zinfandel soared, while vin gris, the French wine that likely was the model for white zinfandel, languished in obscurity.

When nature gives you red grapes that are not quite ripe and full of color, the smart thing is to make a rosé or a vin gris, a pale pink wine that is not “grey” but still lacks the color for a traditional rose. Vin gris, common in France’s Loire Valley and in Burgundy, is made by lightly pressing, but not macerating, red grapes for a pale color. Vin gris is the stylistic opposite of most California rosés, but if you would like to try a California version, look for Bonny Doon Vineyard 2015 California Vin Gris de Cigare, $18, and Cruess 2015 Dry Creek Valley Vin Gris of Grenache, $20.

If vin gris is a little too tame and traditional for you, there’s always the growing collection of what are known as “posh pinks,” rosé wines from celebrity-owned wineries. The original may have been Francis Coppola’s Sofia, a soft, fruity pink wine named for his daughter. Francis Ford Coppola Non-Vintage Monterey County Sofia Rosé, a blend of syrah and pinot noir, is priced at $19.

Then there’s the now famous Ch. Miraval owned by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Ch. Miraval 2015 Cote de Provence Rosé, a blend of syrah, rolle, cinsault and grenache, is $30. Tattoo artist to the stars Scott Campbell has designed an intricate label for the winery called Saved, Magic Maker 2015 Rosé, $20.

Renwood in Plymouth, Amador County, has an unusual sparkling zinfandel, Renwood 2015 Jubliance, $25.99, and Chateau D’Esclans is taking the huge success of their Whispering Angel Rosé one step further with rosé-infused gummy bear candies.

So what is a wine drinker to do when faced with such a daunting range of these pink wines? Experiment with any of those mentioned above or start with a light vin gris, then move to a fuller-bodied but still light Provence rosé such as Ch. De Campuget Costieres de Nimes “Tradition Rosé.”

Take it up a notch to medium-full rosés such as Marquis de Caceres 2015 Rioja (Spain) Tempranillo Rosé, $10.99, or the classic Heitz Cellars 2015 Napa Valley Grignolino Rosé, $23, and Pedroncelli 2015 Dry Creek Valley Dry Rosé of Zinfandel, $12.

And while rosés are delightful sipping wines, you might be tempted to have more than one glass, so add some light foods. It may be a cliché to say that summer is the time to break out the pink wines, but the truth is, warm weather means lighter foods and lighter wines.

A table laden with salads, corn on the cob and cold ham is a great match with a dry to semi-dry rosé, such as a French Tavel from the southern Rhone Valley, Rosé d’Anjou from the Loire Valley or a California dry rosé like Rock Wall Contra Costa Co. Grenache Rosé.

Gerald D. Boyd is a Santa Rosa-based wine and spirits writer.