Rosé Champagne

The fact that champagne has an exclusive reputation is due to the fact that it can only be produced in the "Champagne", a French wine-growing region, according to the strictest regulations. In addition, the names "Champagne" and "Champagne" are protected throughout the world. That is, other sparkling wines are not allowed to carry this brand name.

The elegant Rosé Champagne, this is perfect luxury and the first choice when you want to toast special events in style. With a color spectrum that ranges from pale pink to salmon pink and delicate pink-violet, such a champagne seduces you already when the small pink pearls rise in the champagne glass. If then also your taste buds are gently pampered, then you too should have found your personal rosé. Try the unique fruit notes of rosé champagne, each of them has its own style. But what specifically makes rosé champagne, what is the story behind it, what grape varieties are used for it and how its production takes place, all this you will learn from the following information.

Rosé Champagne - its history

The history of rosé champagne dates back to 1804. At that time, the widow of the wine merchant Veuve Clicquot from the French town of Reims in the Champagne region, introduced the first rosé to the wine market and established it in the circles of the nobility. It was she who introduced the riddling device that ensured that the champagne became clear. This not only made it more and more popular, but also opened the door to the whole world for it. Labels, however, have been on the bottles only since 1830.

The first vintage champagne, however, was not offered until anno 1870 and was extremely successful until the phylloxera disaster, which occurred in the middle of the 19th century. However, the streak of success did not continue after the disaster, as important export markets were lost. An increase in sales of Champagne, and therefore Rosé, was not seen until the 1950s with the expansion of vineyards and the founding of the "Comités Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne", responsible for controlling and monitoring the Champagne market. It was possible to meet the increasing demand and the associated sales again.

Today, the Champagne region produces approximately 300 to 350 million bottles of the precious, sparkling champagne annually. The share of rosé champagne production has risen steadily in recent decades. This Rosé boom contributed to the further popularity of the noble drink. Champagne Rosé can convince with its fruity-fresh taste in its own way. The, for champagne characteristic, nutty yeasty flavors step here somewhat into the background. However, this delicious drop was and is drunk not only by kings such as Louis VXI and emperors such as Napoleon, but also by many champagne connoisseurs around the world. Germany also imports Champagne Rosé, but only a small part, which makes it but a special treasure. In our Rosé Champagne Shop you can buy excellent Rosé Champagne.

Rosé Champagne - the growing region and grape varieties

The wine-growing region of "Champagne" is located in northeastern France and was first mentioned in documents in 1114. Since its definition in 1927, the wine-growing area of Champagne covers about 35,000 hectares. This area is divided into sub-regions, for example Côte des Bar, Vallée de la Marne, Côte des Blancs and Montagne de Reims. All these regions are made available to the wineries for the cultivation of grapes. Due to the fact that each region is different in terms of soil character and microclimates, it is possible for the winemakers to produce drops that are different in character.

Champagne Rosé is produced exclusively from the three grape varieties red Pinot Noir, red Meunier and white Chardonnay. Red Meunier and Pinot Noir are planted on 38 percent of the vineyard area each, and white Chardonnay on 24 percent.

The "Montagne de Reims" and "Côte des Bar" vineyards represent the red Pinot Noir vines. Wines made from grapes of these vines have clearly noticeable aromas of the berries, so they have a lot of body, are powerful and have a complex structure.

The red Meunier grape variety is the vine that produces good quality grapes even when bad weather conditions prevail. The Meunier, unlike the other grape varieties, requires less heat to ripen completely. Monier wines are characterized by an intense bouquet and fruity aromas.

The wine-growing region "Côte des Blancs" is optimal for Chardonnay vines. Wines based on these grapes are delicate, very fresh, can have mineral and floral aromas and have an acid base that allows longer storage.

The very name "Blanc de Noirs" indicates that only grapes from red grape varieties, i.e. Meunier and Noir, were used. The fact that 100 percent white Chardonnay vines were used for the champagne can be recognized by the designation "Blanc de Blancs".

The production of Rosé Champagne

In the production of rosé champagne, all the procedures valid for white champagne are followed. There are three different methods of how the champagne gets its rosé color, the most common being the blending of white and red wines. The more intense the color, the higher the proportion of red wine contained. Another method of production is the use of grape musts, also called "saignée". In the case of "rosé de maceration", the red grapes are macerated briefly after pressing, which allows more colorants to be released from the berry skins.

Thus, to color Champagne Rosé, the saignée process, the assemblage process and the pressée process are used. You can also tell which process was used to make the Champagne Rosé by the name "Rosé de Saignée", "Rosé d'Assemblage" and "Rosé de Pressée".

The Saignée Process

The term "saignée", in German "Aderlass", is of French origin and comes from the word "saigner", "to bleed". The meaning of the word alone suggests a little about the manufacturing process, also known as maceration. The saignée process involves pressing grapes that have been harvested by hand. The must that emerges, including the skins, is transferred to a tank. The berry skins "bleed", that is, they release their color to the mash. Since the skins are in contact with the must, the color of the must becomes more intense the longer the skins remain in the must. However, various other components found in the berry skins and grape seeds, tannins and phenols, are also dissolved during maceration. These components not only influence the color of the later base wines, but also their sensory characteristics.

Therefore, close monitoring of this process is required. After only a few to a maximum of 48 hours, the must is rosé-colored and the winemaker extracts about ten to 20 percent of the must for vinification in an extra tank. A "Rosé de Saignée" is then produced from this quantity. The remaining must remains in the original tank for further maceration. From this, concentrated and extract-rich red wines are pressed, which are particularly color-intensive.

Rosé de Saignée Champagne can be obtained as a single-varietal Champagne made from the Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir or Chardonnay grape varieties, or as an assemblage, i.e. a blend, of the three grape varieties. Also in our Rosé Champagne Shop you can buy both varietal and assemblage or cuvée Rosé Champagne.

The assemblage process

The term "assemblage" comes from the French and means in German "Verschnitt". Common for such a champagne is also the term cuvée. In the assemblage process, which is used in the production of Champagne, approximately seven to 15 percent red still wine is added to the white base wines after fermentation and before they are bottled. This "blending" gives the champagne a rosé color.

The Pressée process

The pressée process is the method by which champagne was predominantly produced in the 18th to early 19th centuries. Today it is used less frequently. In this process, the red berries are only pressed, they are not macerated. However, the grapes must have fermented when the must is separated. The separated must now has a pink color.

Champagne Rosé - its richness of facets

Champagne Rosé is offered in the following flavors:

Extra Brut (dry) : with a residual sugar content of zero to six grams per liter,
Brut Nature (dry) : with a residual sugar content per liter of less than three grams,
Brut (dry): Residual sugar content per liter from zero to 12 grams,
Extra Dry (semi-dry): 12 to 17 grams of residual sugar content per liter,
Dry (semi-dry): with residual sugar content from 17 to 32 grams per liter,
Demi-sec (sweet): Residual sugar content per liter of 32 to 50 grams, and
Doux (sweet): with more than 50 grams of residual sugar per liter, the sweetest variety.

The aroma spectrum of Champagne Rosé includes fruity-fresh notes, such as currant, wild berries, strawberry, raspberry, apple and peach, as well as floral notes, such as hibiscus and rose. There are also herbal notes, such as fresh mint and hints of vanilla, caramel, crepe, chocolate and even pepper and smoke aromas. Of course, the grape varieties used and the characteristics of the growing region also influence the taste of rosés. But one thing the champagne rosés are without a doubt, they are an elegant spirit that is not only fresh, but also delicious and quaffable.

In our Rosé Champagne Shop you can find Rosé d'Assemblage or Cuvée as well as Rosé de Saignée and special Champagne Rosé.

On what occasions and what dishes are served which champagne rosé?

A special champagne, as it is the fresh, red fruit tasting champagne rosé, is predestined for special occasions, such as weddings and festive events. But also when meeting with friends on summer evenings on the terrace, a well chilled Champagne Rosé is always welcome. Especially on romantic occasions such as a first date, a picnic with a loved one in the countryside or a candlelight dinner, rosé is a very seductive companion.

However, Champagne Rosé is also the perfect complement to food, both in terms of taste and color. It can be wonderfully combined with a wide variety of dishes. Optimally, rosé goes with red and raw meat, oily fish, shellfish and desserts made from red fruits.

Champagne Rosé with raw meat

If you want to serve your guests a duck or beef carpaccio, a Champagne Rosé is the ideal complement. Beef and duck meat is very fatty and has a significant amount of oil. So it pairs perfectly with a fruity, pink champagne. In addition, raw meat remains very juicy, unlike cooked meat, which can distort the taste of champagne or make it slightly bitter. Thanks to the slight acidity of rosé champagne, it is the perfect pairing with raw meat, as the acidity helps cleanse the palate between bites. Why not combine Ruinart Champagne Rosé, Moёt & Chandon Rosé Impérial or Veuve Clicquot Rosé with it.

Champagne Rosé with red meat

Red meats are strong meats such as the muscle meat of pork, beef, lamb or game. A robust Champagne Rosé should be served with red meat dishes and also with the popular 'Nduja, a soft, very spicy and piquant raw sausage from Italy. You should serve Dom Pérignon Champagne Rosé once with these dishes. Two examples would be: Sautéed lamb à point (medium rare) served with a lemon and mint and pink pepper sauce. But Dom Pérignon Rosé is also ideal with risotto alla 'Nduja with smoked stracciatella, as its subtle smoky facets complement the smoky spices of the dish.

Champagne Rosé with oily fish

Oily fish includes herring, anchovies and sardines, trout, salmon, swordfish, mackerel and tuna. For example, if you combine raw tuna or salmon inform of sushimi or sushi with shiso marinade or pickled ginger, a fine fruity Champagne Rosé such as Ruinart Rosé goes well with it. Serve a Moёt & Chandon Rosé Impérial with a red mullet. A Veuve Clicquot Rosé goes perfectly with salmon smoked over oak wood, with slightly acidic pickled cucumbers on the side.

Champagne Rosé with shellfish

Crustaceans include not only the kings of the seabed, lobsters, crawfish and mussels, but also crabs, shrimp and prawns. Crustaceans have a delicate and refined taste, whether they are fried, boiled or grilled on the plate. Depending on how they are prepared, they can treat you to nutty flavors or, if grilled, toasty aromas. An excellent combination with shellfish is rosé. Of course, you need to choose the champagne rosé depending on the type of preparation and the corresponding side dishes. For example, the Dom Pérignon Rosé purchased in our Rosé Champagne Shop would harmonize wonderfully with mussels. As an aperitif, the Champagne Rosé Brut are perfect companions if you have oysters, mussels and lobster with lime foam or limes on your menu.

Champagne Rosé with desserts with red fruits.

The crowning glory of any menu is a delicious, fresh, fruity dessert, especially if it's made with red berries or wild berries. Yes, even to such a dessert or fruit salad with red berries can be combined a champagne rosé. The Moёt Chandon Rosé Impérial, which consists of approximately 50 percent Pinot Noir grapes, is a perfect match. A Rosé Ruinart, which has aromas of raspberries, wild strawberries and cherries, can be served with red berry desserts such as panna cotta with raspberries and vanilla or raspberry or strawberry tartes.

So you see, a good meal or menu, crowned by a suitable Champagne Rosé becomes a culinary highlight. However, the stronger the dish, the stronger the Champagne Rosé should be. Because only if the combination of food and rosé fits, the menu is perfect and fascinating.

Champagne Rosé - How and from which glasses is it drunk?

As with other beverages, the right drinking temperature plays a major role in Champagne Rosé. It should be six to eight degrees Celsius, for vintage champagne about nine to eleven degrees Celsius. This temperature difference is related to the more intense aromas of vintage champagne. Since rosé warms up quickly both in the glass and in the bottle, you should not pour the glasses quite full and move the bottle to the refrigerator after opening. If you want to store the champagne in style, place it in a champagne cooler filled with a mixture of ice and cold water. Only ice is not useful, because there would be too much warm air between the ice cubes and the contact with the ice cubes would not be enough to cool the bottle well.

If you want to fully enjoy the irresistible flavors of a luxurious champagne, you also need to serve it in a proper glass. The optimal champagne glass is not the familiar champagne bowl, champagne flute or champagne glass, a champagne glass must meet some criteria. The champagne glass should be thin-walled, as the tip of the tongue touches the rosé first. This will properly stimulate the taste buds before the champagne is distributed in the mouth.

However, care must be taken to ensure that the glass is such that the contents are not heated too quickly by the palm of the hand. That is, it must not be too thick-walled. In addition, it is also important that the rising beads work well. An important factor is the shape and size of the glass. They must be right, because only then can the champagne fully develop its aromas, resulting in a round bouquet. So the shape of the glass should not be too wide, but to absorb the aromas through the nose for them have enough space.

If you take into account all these factors, then the best option is to serve your champagne rosé in a white wine glass in the shape of a tulip. The opening of the glass is not too narrow and not too wide. So the nose has enough space to enjoy the aromas. Even in a Chardonnay glass, with its rather stately width and a tapered goblet, the aromas of the rosé can develop richly.

Whether it's a festive occasion or a big event, Champagne Rosé makes it feel special. Rosé scores not only with its color spectrum, but also with its unique taste. Although it is quite dry compared to its white counterpart, it is also very popular among men. Champagne Rosé is characterized by fruity aromas, which are expressed on the one hand in a very pleasant bouquet in the nose and on the other hand leave a wonderful taste experience. Just try the luxury drink once, you will be thrilled. Take a look at our online store, here you can buy this wonderful rosé champagne and then enjoy.