Rose guide
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Just about any red grape will make a rose'.
I have made rose' from merlot, zinfandel, and pinot noir.
To be honest, each grape makes a far more enjoyable red wine than a rose' (which is simply not my cup of tea). I have only made 5 or 6 batches when specific requests were made by family members. Each time it turned out nice, but I still prefer a good red over a great rose'.
That being said... To make a rose, all you really need to do is crush/destem your red grapes, then press them right away (within an hour or two).
Since red wine get's its color, body, and structure from the skins, by crushing then immediately pressing your grapes, you seriously cut down on the amount of color (among other things) extracted, leaving a pink hue.
Once you have pressed, then process the juice using your typical white wine process. I normally go with a D47 yeast.
I have made rose' from merlot, zinfandel, and pinot noir.
To be honest, each grape makes a far more enjoyable red wine than a rose' (which is simply not my cup of tea). I have only made 5 or 6 batches when specific requests were made by family members. Each time it turned out nice, but I still prefer a good red over a great rose'.
That being said... To make a rose, all you really need to do is crush/destem your red grapes, then press them right away (within an hour or two).
Since red wine get's its color, body, and structure from the skins, by crushing then immediately pressing your grapes, you seriously cut down on the amount of color (among other things) extracted, leaving a pink hue.
Once you have pressed, then process the juice using your typical white wine process. I normally go with a D47 yeast.
