Champagne Rosé is the appellation for Champagne tinted pink by the dark pigment contained in the skins of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes. The wines are sometimes referred to informally as ‘pink’ champagne.
The pigmentation in rosé Champagne is usually achieved by adding a little red wine to an existing white cuvee, with Pinot Noir being the variety that is typically employed. The saignee method is also permitted under INAO Champagne production laws, although this is rarely used. This presence of red extract in the wine adds more than just color; the red-fruit character and earthy, meaty aromas of Pinot Noir are also detectable in rosé Champagnes. Together, these factors give the wines greater organoleptic complexity than is typically found in their white counterparts.
Rosé Champagne is subject to changes in fashion, as well as higher prices as a result of its perceived exclusivity. Most of the top Champagne houses have a rose wine in their portfolios; the most widely known Rose Champagnes are Krug, Laurent-Perrier, Billecart-Salmon and Veuve-Clicquot. On the subject of Champagne, Elizabeth 'Lilly' Bollinger famously stated: I drink it when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty. She didn't sanction the creation of a Bollinger rosé until the late 1970s, when Bollinger Grande Année Rosé was first produced – a full 150 years after the company was founded.
As with the whites, rosé Champagne is produced in both vintage (millesimé) and non-vintage versions, depending on the vintage quality and the producer in question. Although there is variation in the sweetness levels, the wines are most often dry (brut or sec) in style. There is a marked difference between a dry rosé Champagne and the sweet pink wines of Bugey-Cerdon or the central Loire Valley.
A typical rosé Champagne offers red-fruit aromas (strawberries and raspberries) and a subtle meaty, yeasty character resulting from extended lees contact and exposure to the Pinot grape skins. Although more usually consumed as a celebratory drink – not accompanied by food – rosé Champagne is versatile; its fuller flavor and body enable it to cope with stronger food flavors and textures. Bold acidity and forward fruit aromas make it a good match for simple grilled seafood, roast pork or even more exotically spiced dishes.
