Blush Wines

Many wine experts look down their noses at blush wines. These experts consider blush wines to be too “simple” and lacking in complexity. Regardless of what experts think, blush wines are quite popular and are here to stay.

Making a Blush Wine

How are blush wines made?

There are several ways of producing a blush wine. First of all, the juice of all grapes is “white.” It is the dark colored skins of the grapes that add tannin and color to wine. The first way of making a blush wine is to crush the grapes and leave their skins in with the mix for a given period of time and then rack the grapes, or remove the stems, seeds and skins. If the period of contact lasts just a short period of time, the resulting wine will be a pale pink in color. Typical lengths of time using this method run from about six to eight hours. This type of process is also referred to as limited maceration.

Another way of producing bush wines is called saignee. This is a “bleeding” process where some of the juice from the “must” or crushed grapes, is removed from the mix before fermenting the juice into wine. This results in a more intense red wine. The blush juice that was bled becomes a secondary byproduct which can then be made into a blush wine.

Rose wines can also be made through the pressurage method. This involves using white wine grapes with dark skins so that the dark skins of the grapes will give the wine a pink color.

The final way to make a blush wine is to add some red wine to a white wine. This method is not used frequently anymore in the wine making world except in the Champagne region of France.

Blush Wines – Rose

Rose is the traditional blush wine. Probably originating with the with the ancient Greeks in Rome, Rose in Europe today is typically a dry drink rather than the sweeter blush wines of the United States.

Blush Wines – White Zinfandels

White zinfandels were created in 1973 when owner Bob Trinchero of Sutter Home Winery, located in Northern California, bled his red zinfandel to make the juice more intense. When he decided to vinify the juice that he had taken, white zinfandels were born.

White Zinfandel Food Pairings

White zinfandels might be paired with:

• Pasta dishes with cream sauces
• Anti-pasto
• Mild cheeses
• Egg dishes
• Indian cuisine
• Lamb
• Fresh mozzarella
• Spicy Szechuan dishes
• Thai foods

Food Pairings – Rose

You might try a rose with:

• Paella
• Smoked fish
• Fresh goat cheeses
• Olives
• Feta
• Prosciutto and melon
• Mushrooms
• Artichokes

Serving Blush Wines

Blush Wines should be served when they are young and when they have been chilled to about 50º F. Many people prefer to drink blush wines during warm spring and summer days because of blush wines’ light crisp taste.

Enjoy your blush wine!

~Laura Evans Staff Editor

Laura Evans is a freelance writer living in Southern California.