Full-bodied rosés: proud to be pink

Pale pink Provence rosés seem to be everywhere, but 20 years ago the majority of rosés on sale were relatively dark and full-bodied, and many of them lacked freshness and finesse. The evolution of rosé led to the rise of lighter, more elegant wines, along with the idea that the paler the rosé, the better the wine. True or not, this has had the effect of reducing the popularity of darker rosés.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 25 full-bodied rosés

Producers of these styles often have a long history of fuller-bodied rosés, and are today often fighting against the tide of international trends. The fightback has resulted in renewed pride in these historic styles and brought fresher, more modern interpretations of these wines, which are worth looking out for, despite the pressure for ‘paler is better’.

Most darker rosés were originally made from juice ‘bled off’ (by the saignée method) from red wines as a by-product, which would result in wines that often lacked acidity and were slightly tannic. Typical regions where you’ll still find this approach today include northern Spain and its Garnacha-based rosados and, in central-eastern Italy, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo rosato wines made with the Montepulciano variety.

However, producers are now choosing to make these wines separately from the red wines, harvesting earlier to maintain freshness and reducing the temperature during skin contact and maceration, so that their saignée method wines now have both full-bodied freshness and darker colour, but without the heavy, clumsy structure of old. In the New World, darker rosés are often produced in this fruitier style, but often lack the structure found in European wines.

Some varieties lend themselves to the fuller-bodied structure, often with darker fruit flavours, and these typically include Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Petit Verdot.

Time well spent

Another traditional style of winemaking which can result in full-bodied rosés in both pale and darker hues is the use of black and white grape varieties blended together. Depending on the vintage, the depth of colour in such styles can be determined by the relative proportions of black or white grapes used.

Today, a tendency for higher percentages of white grapes, such as Rolle or Macabeu, allows for greater extraction of fruit without leading to such a deep colour in the final wine.

Examples include the claretes of Cigales in northern Spain, the clairets of Bordeaux and German Schillerwein, as well as the rosés of Tavel and Provence.

These styles’ extended skin maceration, ranging from 12 hours to a week, means the wines can fall between full-bodied rosé and light red, accompanied by great ageing potential. Rosés made with paler grapes or with more white grapes in the blend can be deceptive, their pale colour hiding the fuller body coming from the extended maceration. Time spent in oak is another invisible factor that can contribute to weighty, paler rosés, although this is still more of an Old World style.

While some producers have abandoned traditional styles, and seen sales increase with modern paler wines, others have introduced the pale rosé style alongside their traditional darker wines. For some, the traditional dark wines are perceived as the wines drunk by the grandparents; for others they are seen as an act of defiance to the increasing dominance of pale rosé. Among natural wines, rosés are often darker, too, with many producers rejecting the ‘rosé’ term altogether and declaring their wines to be ‘pale reds’.

These fuller-bodied rosés are both more suited to being matched with a range of foods and less restricted to the summer season – and they usually find favour with a broader range of consumers’ wine preferences.

See tasting notes and scores for 25 full-bodied rosés

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