Rosé wines

Fermentation bay in La Rioja Alta, S.A. In fermentation, and only in fermentation, stainless steel is the ideal material

The market for rosé wines from the Rioja has experienced a serious depression, as has been the case for all rosé wines throughout the world. Today a slight increase in demand is becoming apparent.

At present, out of every one hundred litres of Rioja marketed, 75 litres are red, 12 litres are white and 13 litres are rosé. Although the most highly appreciated is Rioja red, the classic product of the region, there is a growing demand for whites and a slight tendency of increase in demand for rosé. In terms of red wine, there is no competition for the Rioja in the productive areas of Spain. On the other hand competition with whites and rosés from other areas is very strong, in quantity and quality.

On many occasions we have heard it said that the Rioja should concentrate on the production of reds on an exclusive basis and that whites and rosés should be made in other regions of Spain which are better adapted. This opinion is not well-founded.

Red wines are more sought after and only a few regions are able to make excellent reds. Others have dedicated their efforts to making whites and rosés, however it is more difficult to make good red wine; whites and rosés represent an intermediate level. On the other hand, a region such as the Rioja, whose reputation for excellent reds is widely recognised, could, should it wish to do so, make the best whites and rosés in Spain. In any wine competition it would become evident that not only are the reds of the Rioja the best but that the whites and rosés of this region are also of high quality.

The preparation of rosés is very dependent on the ripening of the grape. The colour contributed by the grape to the wine only exists in the skin while the pulp is white. Theoretically, although very red in appearance, if we peeled some grapes and took out the pulp, the result would be a white wine. Alternatively, if we break open the grape and the pulp (or must) remains in contact with the skins, the liquid will absorb the colour slowly.

From mid-August to mid-October, the skin colour of the gape intensifies. If we harvest to make rosé in mid-September, the wine would be paler than if harvested in October. Here, the state of ripeness of the grape and the maceration time of the must with the skins play a very important role. The maceration time varies from very little for ripe grapes to several days for less ripe grapes.

Not only a similar colour is obtained but the difference can be noted on the palate. The rosé of Fonzaleche is in contact for two days, during which the must not only absorbs colour from the skins, but also other substances which make it agreeable and aromatic. Alternatively, rosé made from unripened grapes tends to have an agreeable level of acidity.

For the traditional methods, wineproducers use the old open vats. Rioja growers usually have different types of grapes in their vineyard. When they wish to make rosé, they first harvest the white grapes with a small proportion of red. They are left in the vat for a few hours and the next day are pressed gently. After opening the tap in the bottom of the vat, the must flows out and ferments in underground oak or cement vats. Once the must has been extracted, the wineproducer proceeds to harvest the red grapes. He puts them into the vat on top of the pressed juice and leaves them to ferment according to the typical process for red wine.

The industrial bodega of the Rioja operates in a similar fashion, but with machinery that allows a certain continuity in the process. In principle, they only process red grapes if they are from an area where ripeness is hard to achieve; white and red grapes if they are from a sunny area of the Rioja.

The stems are then removed from this mass of harvested grapes. They are crushed slightly and submitted to a continuous process with stainless-steel vibrators which separate the must from the solid matter. Alternatively, the mass of must and skins are transferred to draining or maceration tanks. Here the duration of contact between the liquid and skins is controlled. Once the must has taken on the desired tone of rosé, it is transferred to other containers where the "burbas" or solid suspended matter is decanted for one day. The must, which now has a bright colour, is sent to the containers for fermentation.

Once the maceration with skins has been achieved, the process is identical to that of white wines. It is essential to prevent temperatures from exceeding 25· C. High temperatures cause the fruity flavours to be lost.

Although red wines mature in time, rosé and whites wines are consumed very young to take advantage of their freshness, aroma and fruity taste. No more than twenty years ago it was traditional in the Rioja to allow white and rosé wines to age in cask in the same way as reds. Today, old rosé wines are a minority taste, the tendency is to market them in their first or second year.

The varieties of Rioja grapes dedicated to rosé wines are basically red Garnacha or blends of red Garnacha, Tempranillo and white Viura.

The maceration time for extracting colour from the skins does not need to be the same for each variety. Garnacha produces better rosés with longer maceration and Tempranillo gives better quality with a very short maceration.

It is very important for the enologist to calculate the right maceration time, as this is essential to give the wine the precise colour, aromas, softness, roughness, etc.

In 1972, wine regulations clearly specified the difference between red, "claret" and rosé (red wine is total fermentation with skins, "claret" is fermented for a short time with the skins and rosé is fermented without skins). Traditionally, the expression "Rioja claret" exists from almost medieval times when the English sought wines with different hues. For them, Portuguese wine was "black", while the zone of the Gulf of Gascogne (Bordeaux and Rioja) was the area for "clarets", although these were strictly speaking, reds.