Wines & Vines

May 2017 Packaging Issue

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42 WINES&VINES May 2017 PACKAGING Carol Shelton, proprietor of the eponymous Carol Shelton Wines, may have best summed up the marketing arc of these wines. "Finally the world has seen the light…and it is pink. We started making a dry rosé in 2002, and it has been quite an uphill battle to sell, especially 'out of season,' with too many people treating it like white shoes, which (tradition- ally) should not be worn after Labor Day. Many consumers had been prejudiced by White Zin and also by sweet rosés of the past," Shelton said, admitting she fancied Lancers and Mateus in college but left both behind as her palate became more sophisticated. "We get a lot less resistance to rosé, espe- cially from the younger generation, who were raised without the bias of the sweet/bubble- gum rosés of the past. I think the market com- petition is twofold—the super-pale rosés from Provence really dominate on the East Coast especially, plus Los Angeles (whose style tastes mimic New York). "To me as a Californian, those wines are shadows of what they could be—no depth of flavor, or color. In addition, U.S.-made rosés often are made from saignée of super-ripe reds, to concentrate the red wine remaining on the skins. The rosé fraction is a byproduct, and it is rather pale like Euro rosés, but really high in alcohol and sometimes rather flat in acidity, because the ripe grapes' bleed juice either fer- ments dry to high alcohol or is watered down to reduce the alcohol, thereby losing the acidity and depth of flavor once again. KEY POINTS After decades of eclipse from White Zin- fandel and other blush wines, dry rosé is gaining widespread acceptance among U.S. consumers. Millennials seem to be leading adopters of dry rosé. Producers of this style vastly prefer clear or pale flint glass bottles to showcase the diversity of colors. Because these wines are intended for early consumption, many producers opt for screwcap closures. Not Just a Summer Wine How wineries package dry rosé for year-round pleasure By Jane Firstenfeld I n the past decade, the versatile rosé wine style bloomed as a popular beverage that can be enjoyed on its own or paired with food during every season. It's even earned its own festival, Rosé Today Wines. With the help of festival organizers, we contacted top winners of the 2016 com- petition to tap their experiences in packaging this gorgeous wine, which can incorporate a number of grape varieties. The rosé market has seen an almost meteoric rise in popularity, according to Kevin Casey of Finnella Cellars.

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