Why Rosé Should Be Considered a Year-round Favorite

Elisa Weber-Saintin, of Little Guy Wine Co., on our collective obsession with the pink rink
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Rose photo: IStock

We’ve entered a new year,a new decade and, according to the Chinese zodiac, traded the pig for the rat, but our obsession with the rosé trend remains unchanged. We asked Elisa Weber-Saintin, the sales manager for Highland Park-based Little Guy Wine Co., for her take on the blush libation’s enduring, year-round appeal.

vlog׿ Detroit: When did rosé become so popular?

Elisa Weber-Saintin: Rosé has been trending in the wine world for a number of years now, but it tipped over into regular culture a couple summers ago. We’ve now had the second or third summer that people aren’t thinking of rosé as White Zinfandel anymore. It used to be thought of as a woman’s drink. Now, it’s hip and something that men and women drink.

Birichino rosé
Vin Gris from Birichino Vineyards
Does it deserve all the hype?

It’s really good. Rosé has this tradition of being dry, and rosé wines go with a lot of different foods and circumstances. They’re good for people who like white wine, because you drink it chilled, but people who drink red wine like it because it has a little more body than a white and is more refreshing in the summer. Also, millennials are a huge group of wine-drinkers and don’t have any stigma attached to rosé, so it’s become really hip now year-round.

Help an amateur differentiatebetween types of rosé.

Southern France (Provence) has always been known for rosé wines. They are these really light, onion-skin, (almost orange in tone) rosés that are extremely dry and really refreshing. Some Spanish rosés, or other rosés made from thick-skinned varietals like Cabernet, Syrah, or Malbec, can get really dark in color. Lighter color means more tart flavors, while a darker pink is weightier and more ripe
and fruity.

Can you give us a fewrecommendations?

Three that I like are the “Rubentis” Getariako Txakoli from Ameztoi winery in Eitzaga, Spain; Rosé Cuvée Tradition from Clos Cibonne winery in Côtes de Provence, France; and Vin Gris from Birichino Vineyards in Santa Cruz, California.