How do you make a Rosé wine? Surely, you open a bottle of white wine, drink half of it, open a bottle of red, drink half of it, mix the remaining two halves, and bingo; you have a new bottle of pink.

Well, if you live in North America or Australia, you’d get away with it. For the most of Europe, you’d fall foul of the very strict, wine laws: only pink Champagne is allowed by mixing red and white wines.

All grape juice is white, regardless of the colour of the skin. What gives red wine its colour (and tannins) is the contact of the skin with the juice (through the process of maceration).

In the case of Rosé, this contact time is limited to few hours. By experimenting with the maceration period, the winemaker controls the style and characteristics of the Rosé they want to produce, moving from predominantly white style, with short maceration period, to a more red style with longer contact time.

Making a good balanced Rosé is not an easy art. Horacio Calvente and his team rise up to the challenge with their exceptional Rosa-O, and they do so using the rather tricky Petit Verdot variety.
Petit Verdot (small green) is a thick-skinned, small-berry variety from Bordeaux, renowned for its deep, velvety red, powerful tannins and violet aroma. In Europe, it is used in small quantities in wine blends to add colour, tannins and structure.

In some parts of Spain, as well as in the new world, the grape ripens sufficiently to make single-varietal wines. Rosés from Petit Verdot are uncommon, more credit to Calvente for pulling this one off. Two others worth trying are Korta from Curicó, Chile, and Rustenberg from Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Calvente’s Rosa-O has a very appealing bright, clean raspber- ry-red colour. The nose is fresh and intense with aromas of candied cherries, and a hint of citrus. Intense lasting taste of raspberry and strawberry with medium, well-balanced acidity.

A very satisfying wine both for Rosé lovers, as well as White/ Red aficionados. Have it as an ‘aperativo’ or with fish, pasta or risotto. Try it with a piece of boquerones en aceite or a tortilla on a fresh slice of bread. Also works well with mild cheeses.
Rosa-O is available at most delicatessens in Almuñécar and directly from Calvente. €5.95-€7.95.
Bruja Points: 88-90

(Feature: Wine/Bruja de Vino)