The history of Rose wine is a lot longer than most people usually think. Today the rose wine varieties available are usually sweet, served chilled and offer a refreshing and light-tasting beverage perfectly teamed with warm and lazy afternoons. They pair well with light-tasting dishes like seafood, particularly grilled fish and shellfish. Our selection of rose wine has been curated from the best producers from all over the world, and here at home in Australia. With over 70 years of wine experience, The Wine Collective has developed a fine and delicate palate for sourcing the best wines from small and medium sized producers who bring passion and commitment to their wineries in the never-ending quest for the perfect bottle of wine.

Amongst our collection of fine and delicate rose wines, we also offer the full range of popular and ever-lasting favourites including sparkling wine, Italian style Prosecco, authentic French Champagne as well as a range of other delicate sparkling white wines, including sparkling Riesling Wines, sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir and sparkling Chardonnay. For something different, browse our growing selection of sparkling red wines. These include sparkling Shiraz Cabernet, sparkling Shiraz and sparkling Rose.

If you’re a red wine fan, and most wine lovers are partial to both red and white wine varieties, consider browsing our selection of excellent Pinot Noir, shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Tempranillo, Grenache, Cabernet Merlot from producers like Paringa Estate, Vasse Felix, Innocent Bystander and Crackerjack.

What is rose wine like?

The closest white wine equivalent to a delicate tasting rose wine is the Pinot Grigio varieties, particularly the light-tasting and crisp fruity varieties. Although lighter in colour than most red wine varieties, rose wine is not a white wine like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling or Semillon, and while it can be sweet, as in the case of White Zinfandel, and close to the same colour as Orange Muscat wines,  it’s not considered a dessert wine either. 

While most people would argue that rose wine has only recently gained in popularity, it has a much longer history than that. The first wines believed to have been produced date back to the Ancient Greek and Roman periods and are thought to have looked very similar to the modern rose wine, even if they likely didn’t taste anything like them. 

Before the complex behaviour of red wine tannins was really understood, red wines tended be highly acidic. Ancient wine was more often than not white wine or a blush colour owing to how the grapes where processed in making it. Anyone who has seen both a green and red grape will know that the juice from both types are is usually the same colour – clear and transparent – with very few exceptions. The colour of a wine is, therefore, largely determined by the skin of the grape that is used to create it. 

In the case of rose wine, red wine grape varieties are used including sangiovese, grenache, cinsault, pinot noir and syrah, and commonly a mix of them. They are juiced in the same way that grapes used for a conventional white wine or red wine are juiced but the contact the juice has with the grape skins (a process called maceration) is much less, usually no more than three days and sometimes as short as 24 hours. Generally, after three days the qualities and characteristics of the grape skin, not least of which being its colour, too greatly influence the softer rose wine and the skins and juice are separated then readied for fermentation.

What we know and understand a rose wine to be today originated from the Provence rosés in the winemaking region of the same name. Rose wine is the largest produced wine from Provence, and this is largely thanks to its popularity among the Mediterranean countries and how well the wine pairs with cuisine from that area as well as traditional Provencal dishes. Hues and dryness vary from region to region and winemaker to winemaker with colours ranging from very pale pink to outright pink wine and sometimes even darker. 

What food goes well with rose wine?

Rose wine from Provence is usually a dry rosé and has been perfected over the years to pair particularly well with seafood and light Mediterranean cuisine. It suits Provencal cooking including bouillabaisses, as well as goats cheeses, light pastas and light salads, and grilled fish courses. 

The slightly sweet tasting varieties from Portugal or made in this style pair well with the same as traditional dry rose wine styles with the exception of also pairing well with mildly spiced curries. As you move into more full-bodied styles that were once called blush wines, you are heading closer to dessert territory, with these styles pairing particularly well with strawberries and citrus tarts. 

Spanish rose wines from Rioja and Navarra are still dry enough to pair well with barbeques and other seafood dishes like paella, or grilled chicken, fish and lamb. When you’re getting close to the merlot-based rose wine varieties then it’s time to switch to richer tasting seafood like tuna, seared salmon and lobster, or paired with duck and quail or rare cooked lamb. They also pair well with cambered and brie cheeses. 

Sparkling rose wine varies in dryness and sweetness, depending on the producer but these are perfect for served chilled for parties and for pairing with desserts like a delicate Moscato. 

How long does rose wine last?

Sparkling rose, like any sparkling wine, will lose its signature fizz and bubbles the moment that it’s opened. If you haven’t finished your bottle, then it can be stored in the fridge with a proper wine stopper and preferably lying down. The more the bottle is agitated, the most bubbles will be released, never to return. It will never be as bubbly as when it was first opened but it should retain some fizz for a couple of days. 

For a standard rose wine, generally it will last once opened about as long as most white wines. You can stopper it and pop it into the fridge for up to about a week. Most people are unaware that rose white can also be aged with some winemakers choosing an aging process before it is even bottled. Commercial off the shelf varieties not made to age but to instead be drunk while still young and fresh will keep for about a year in the right conditions. If you don’t have access to a wine cellar, then any dark and enclosed space with a consistent cool temperature will surface. Maintaining consistent temperature is vital for keeping wine as too warm conditions can lead to ‘cooking’ your wine, fouling the taste once you’re ready to drink it. 

Browse our selection of rose wine sourced from the finest producers and brands from both here in Australia and from around the world. If you like to drink rosé, then you’ll thoroughly enjoy the wealth of choice we have collected for you and if you’re new to the variety then we can’t wait to help you find the best tasting wines based on your drinking preference.

Order our rose wine online and have your next case delivered direct to your door from The Wine Collective.