Updated: 10/15/2010 - 1:19 PM

Splendor in the glass
The allure of Long Island rosé

by Tracy Kamens

Photo by Jane Starwood Clovis Point 2009 Rosé

Although it is food-friendly and versatile, rosé is often relegated to the warmer months of the year. But now that the summer season is upon us, no more excuses, it's time to get ready for rosé!
Rosé wines, as their name implies, are rose in color, although the color palette stretches from the palest pink to deep salmon. Pigments in the grape's skin are responsible for this color, as they are extracted when left in contact with the grape's juice. Skins left in for only a few hours result in just a whisper of color, while longer periods of skin contact produce much deeper color. Such pink wines were previously associated only with white Zinfandel, but today's pink wines run the gamut from more “serious” wines to easy quaffing wines and have become a mainstay at many Long Island wineries.
East End rosés date back to 1985, when Jamesport Vineyards made some of the first rosé on Long Island with their White Pinot Noir.  Ron Goerler Jr., owner and vineyard manager at the winery, clarified that while they “don't sacrifice the Pinot Noir anymore for [rosé],” they continue to make rosés at the winery using the saignee method. Ron notes that the cool, maritime climate lends itself to this technique because the red wines often need a bit of bleeding to concentrate them, particularly in less ripe vintages. Consequently, they crush the fruit and bleed off 20 percent of the juice, ultimately blending Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah for Jamesport's rosé wine.

While saignee is a time-honored technique, Michael and Paula Croteau of Croteaux Rosé Vineyards employ a more deliberate approach in crafting their rosé wines, which accounts for their tagline, “Rosé on Purpose.” Making rosé their only priority, the Croteaus produce six different rosés, nearly all from the Merlot grape. When first planning to plant grapes on their property, they learned about various Merlot clones and explored how those differences resulted in very different wines. Later, when they decided to make their own wine, they felt that the relatively simple process of making rosé wines would permit the character of the clones to show through much more than if they made red wines, which would mask these nuances with their more complex production. Croteaux' barrel-fermented rosé — one of only a handful in the world — is meant to “bring non-rosé drinkers into the fold” as well as providing a more complex wine that can extend beyond the typical rosé-drinking season.


Carol Sullivan, owner of Gramercy Vineyards, follows a similar approach with her rosé, growing and harvesting some of her Merlot grapes specifically to produce a Provençal-style wine. Because she enjoyed drinking rosé so much on her visits to the south of France, she said, “I wanted to make a rosé because I love it.”
Bouké Wines owner Lisa Donneson said her initial goal was to produce a family of wines, including a rosé. Using a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Lisa focused on making a “sunny, fresh and fruity, refreshing” rosé in a dry style that would pair well with food and be a great choice for everyday drinking. She noted that this deeply colored wine has richness and a bit of weight compared to some other rosés. After releasing her first rosé, Lisa found there was also a market for off-dry wines, which led to the recent release of a new rosé called “Bouquet.” According to Lisa, this new wine — a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Gewurztraminer — has received a “fantastic reaction” from consumers . Compared to her first rosé, Bouquet is slightly sweet and much lighter in both body and color.

Lieb Cellars also produces two different styles of rosé. The newly released Bridge Lane Rosé 2009 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with a little Pinot Blanc to add acidity. As described by Lieb's marketing and communications director, Melissa Schwartz, the “crisp and refreshing” wine is made in a dry, French style and, is “the best rosé we've ever made.” Also of note, this is the first Lieb wine to debut with a screw cap, which Melissa suggested is “great for wine meant to be drunk right away, as it really preserves the freshness with optimum quality control.” Lieb Cellars' other rosé is Bridge Lane White Merlot, which Melissa describes as more of a white wine with just a hint of color. With all Merlot grapes, harvested early to preserve their acidity, the wine combines the crispness of a white wine with the cherry tones of a red wine. A portion of the proceeds from this wine go to the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund.
Peconic Bay Winery's new rosé is part of their new label, Nautique. These are styled as casual, everyday wines that are well-balanced, elegant and perfect to enjoy with or without food. The eye-catching Esprit de Rosé wine comes in a Massalia (a type of French wine bottle) and “is not a wimpy rosé” according to Pascal Zugmeyer, Peconic Bay's retail operations manager. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, this bone-dry wine has aromas of strawberry and grapefruit. As Pascal explained, the 2009 growing season was not a great year for reds. “Instead of making a bad red,” he said, “we chose to make a good rosé.” One thousand cases of the Esprit de Rosé were adorned with pink bows; about a dollar per bottle goes to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Clovis Point didn't produce a red wine in 2009 either, focusing instead on making a “fantastic rosé” from estate-grown Cabernet Franc. General manager Carmela Paciullo noted that the wine is a first for the winery and may not be part of their regular lineup. She described the wine as dry, with beautiful color and light, delicate aromas of strawberry and pink grapefruit and good flavor and structure.
This May, the Long Island Wine Council sponsored a “Run for the Rosés,” with member wineries that produce rosé donating a dollar to CancerCare for each bottle of rosé sold during the promotion.
With the diversity of rosés available at these and other Long Island wineries, visitors to the region will be sure to find one that suits their style. Use the Wine List in this issue as a handy guide to all the rosés in current release. Of special note is Harbes Family Farm & Vineyards 2008 Red Horse Dry Rosé, winner of four medals in 2009.

Tracy Ellen Kamens, Ed.D., DWS, CWE, holds a Certified Wine Educator credential from the Society of Wine Educators and a Diploma of Wine and Spirits, with merit, from The Wine & Spirits Education Trust. She passed WSET's intermediate and advanced certificate exams with distinction, holds the International Bordeaux Instructor title from L'Ecole du Vin de Bordeaux, and has completed both the Napa Valley Vintners' Wine Educators Academy and Wine Australia USA AusWISE programs.
Ms. Kamens has written for Wine Enthusiast, L.I. Wine Press, L.I. Wine Gazette and Wine Sediments. She also writes a monthly educational newsletter, Grand Cru Grapevine, and a blog, Grape Matter. With her husband, Jared Skolnick, she runs Grand Cru Classes (GrandCruClasses.com), based in Mattituck.