Rosé wine is a beloved wine here at M Cellars®. Come explore the world of Rosé, where we uncork the secrets behind its production and unique characteristics. Learn more about how our 2022 Dry Rosé earned Best of Class at the 2023 Ohio Wine Competition.
What is a Rosé?
Rosé is a pinkish wine that falls somewhere between a red and a white. Rosé does not refer to a specific grape, as most red grapes can be used to make Rosé (albeit some are more popular than others) but instead refers to the method in which these wines are made.
There are three main methods for producing Rosé:
1) Blending- when a small amount of red juice is added to white juice to produce the pink color. This is popular among sparkling Rosé wines. In still wines, these may also be called “blush” wines.
2) Short Maceration- Using all red grapes, the juice is left to sit, or “macerate” with the skins of the grapes for a short time, extracting a small amount of color from the skins. Whereas red wines macerate for days to weeks to extract much more color (and tannin) from the skins, Rosés typically only macerate for 2 to 20 hours.
3) Saignée- A less common method of producing Rosé is the Saignée method is used during red wine production. Within the first few hours of making a red wine, a portion of the juice is “bled off” and separated to make Rosé. This results in two wines, one Rosé and one red that are now more concentrated and intense than they would have otherwise been.
What went into our new 2022 Dry Rosé?
Our new Rosé is a blend of three of the most popular red grapes for Rosé production: about 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 20% Pinot Noir. All of the grapes used are estate-grown, coming from our Stoltz Road vineyard, Eckart family vineyard, and the vineyard surrounding our winery and tasting room.
To achieve the lovely rose gold color for this wine, our winemaker Matt Meineke used the short maceration method and allowed to juice to macerate for about 12 hours, which is slightly longer than he usually does for Rosés, creating a darker Rosé than usual.
So… how does it taste?
The 2022 Dry Rosé is light, crisp, and refreshing with lovely notes of raspberry, ripe red apple, strawberry, tart lime and kiwi, and orange zest. This wine is delicate and has mouth-watering acidity that leaves you wanting another sip.
This wine has been popular among M Cellars staff, along with critics at the 2023 Ohio Wine Competition who awarded this Rosé with Best of Class (meaning it was considered the best in its category).
What are you waiting for? Come see for yourself what the hype is all about. The 2022 Dry Rosé is available to taste, as well as for glass or bottle purchase, in our tasting room. If you can’t make it into the winery, you can also order bottles to be shipped to you through our website here. Cheers!
Written by Paige McGrath, M Cellars® Level 3 Sommelier
