Champagne isn’t just a sparkling white! There’s more to it than the iconic elegant white bubbly we like to open for special occasions. The big houses and skilled winegrowers behind these iconic bubbles don’t just make white Champagnes. They also craft exquisite rosé versions. They might not always get as much attention as their white counterparts, but these pink beauties are definitely worth exploring! How are rosé Champagnes produced and what should you serve them with?
Rosé Champagne is on the rise
At the Wine Paris exhibition last February, the two co-presidents of the Champagne Committee, Maxime Toubart and David Chatillon, expressed their excitement over a significant rise in the export of rosé Champagnes. “The demand for rosé Champagne abroad has increased fivefold in the past 20 years,” they revealed, with 20 million bottles sold by the end of 2022, accounting for over 10% of French Champagne exports. Who’s most fond of the sparkling pink treat? That would be Americans, Brits, Canadians, Germans, and even Spaniards. In France, rosé now represents nearly 17% of all Champagne sales.
How is rosé Champagne made? What’s the difference between a blended rosé Champagne and macerated rosé Champagne?
For once, rosé Champagne proves those who have always believed that rosé is made from a mix of both red and white wine right …
There are two main methods to make rosé Champagne: blending or maceration. To produce a blended rosé, winemakers add a small proportion of red wine to a white base, to produce a macerated rosé, they follow an entirely different process.
1. Rosé d’assemblage: blended rosé Champagne
Technically called rosé d’assemblage, this is by far the most commonly produced rosé Champagne because it allows producers to maintain a consistent colour and style from one vintage to the next. It involves blending a light white wine – or still wine – (before it undergoes its second fermentation) with 5 to 20% of red Champagne wine, produced under the AOC Coteaux Champenois. These two wines can be made from the classic Champagne grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay. This method is relatively simple and cost-effective, but it does require high-quality red wine. Something that’s not always easy to come by in Champagne, where red wines are rare and often quite pale. However, some terroirs and villages produce exceptional reds, particularly on the southern slopes of the Montagne de Reims, in areas like Ambonnay, Bouzy, Verzenay, and Aÿ. Still, there aren’t enough of these vineyards to satisfy the demand for rosé Champagne. Once blending is complete, the wine undergoes a second fermentation, and voilà, it gets its bubbles!
By the way, it’s worth noting that Champagne is the only region in Europe and many other countries in the world where the blending method for rosé is allowed. There isn’t a single other region in France which is authorised to combine white wine with red wine to obtain a rosé.
The result? Rosé Champagne produced using this method is often quite pale in colour, sometimes with a slight orangey hue, and it tends to be very approachable. The aromatic profile is typically consistent from one year to the next. This style of rosé Champagne is particularly popular among those who enjoy a fresh, easy-drinking wine with a touch of fruitiness – think red berries and citrus.
2. Rosé de saignée: macerated rosé Champagne
To avoid the issue of the scarcity of high-quality red wines, there is another method of production: maceration or saignée, which generally results in wines of very high quality. If you know that saignant is the French for ordering a rare steak, you might have guessed that saignée refers to blood in a wider sense. The term stems from the ancient medical term used for drawing blood from a patient, meaning bleeding. This method involves leaving the juice to macerate for around 10 hours in constant contact with the grape skins. The same technique is used to make red wine, so as you can imagine, it requires at least one red-skinned grape, like Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier. The natural pigments in the skins of the black grapes progressively tint the free-run juice (called jus de goutte) and the must naturally gets a pink colour that intensifies the longer the grape skins are in contact with this juice. At the same time, the skins enrich the juice with their aromatic compounds. After maceration, the vat is ‘bled’, meaning the contents are drained to separate the juice from the skins. Rosé Champagnes made using this method typically have a more intense colour, although it can vary from one vintage to another. They tend to have a more powerful, vinous aromatic profile, making them excellent wines for pairing with food. Saignée rosés are generally produced by highly skilled producers such as Francis Boulard, Larmandier-Bernier, and Laherte, as this method requires a particular expertise. This explains why they are generally of high quality.
The result? Rosé Champagne made by saignée is a true wine for gastronomic pairings, best served alongside complex dishes. It’s more vinous and rich compared to its blended counterpart, with a deeper, more intense colour and pronounced red fruit aromas.
Are rosé Champagnes sweet?
Not necessarily. Don’t be misled by the candy-like colour of this wine – colour and sweetness are not necessarily linked. Just like light coloured Champagne, rosé Champagne can be either dosed or undosed (the dosage refers to the amount of sugar added to the bottle before corking – the usual dosage of Champagne is between 8 and 12g of sugar per litre). It all depends on the style the producer is aiming for.
What’s the oldest rosé Champagne? Where was it invented?
For a long time, it was believed that the invention came from the Veuve Clicquot Champagne House, but in fact, it’s Ruinart who deserves the credit for rosé Champagne. Documents from 1764 prove this. This early rosé Champagne was likely made from grape varieties that are less known today, such as Fromentau and Petit Meslier, alongside the more famous Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir. It was almost certainly a macerated rosé, produced by mistake. The House of Veuve Clicquot is credited with pioneering the invention of blended rosé Champagne.
Who produces rosé Champagnes?
- Dom Pérignon
- Ruinart
- Piper Heidsieck
- Veuve Clicquot
- Bollinger
- Perrier-Joüet
- Philipponnat
- Krug
- Cédric Bouchard
- Francis Boulard
- Larmandier-Bernier
- Laherte
- And many more…
What should you pair with rosé Champagne? What food pairings work best with rosé Champagne?
When of good quality, rosé Champagnes make incredibly interesting food pairings because they often fill the gaps where classic Champagnes fall short. They can almost behave like a light red Burgundy. With its more pronounced red fruit notes and slightly more noticeable tannins, rosé Champagne can pair beautifully with white meats or roasted poultry. It also goes wonderfully with a leg of lamb cooked… in rosé, and even a small game birds. It’s also a great match for salmon in all its forms and red-fruit-based desserts.
If you prefer lighter wines, go for rosé Champagnes that are predominantly made from Chardonnay, while those with more Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier will offer you more complex, structured notes.
Serving a 100% rosé Champagne meal
- Aperitif: Beetroot purée served in a glass with crispy bacon chips paired with a Brut Insouciance Huré Frères.
- Starter: Grapefruit-zested sea bream and salmon tartare, complemented by a 2015 Grande Année Rosé from Bollinger.
- Main: Lime and ginger-marinated chicken served with a delightful 2012 Clos des Goisses Juste Rosé Brut from Philipponnat.
- Cheese: 12-month aged Comté, paired with Les Terres Roses XIX Grand Cru Extra Brut from Pierre Paillard.
- Dessert: Strawberry pavlova accompanied by a glass of 2015 Cuvée Sève en Barmont Brut Nature from Olivier Horiot.
