Why is Rose Wine Pink?

Today the Ideal Wine Company has decided to tackle one of the most annoying wine myths known to man. We’ve geared ourselves up to ask: why is rose wine pink?

The rise of rose wine

Go back a decade or two and rose wine was nothing more than a novelty. At best, it was the bottle you would only break out on a particularly scorching summer’s day. At worst, you wouldn’t have even heard of it.

However you can buy some stunning rose wines. A good pink wine manages to mix the bright, fresh characteristics of an un-oaked white, with the rich berry-fruit flavours of a hearty red. People have started to catch on in the last decade, and now you’re just as likely to see rose on the supermarket shelves as you would it’s darker and lighter equivalents.

It’s not a blend!

The rising popularity of rose wine has only more people curious. A lot of wine enthusiasts don’t know how their pink drink of choice is made. We want to take a minute to clear something up. Rose wine is not a blend!

White wine is made from white grapes (mostly). Red wine is made from red grapes. This leads people to believe that rose wine is made by blending white wine and red wine. No.

From clear to pink

It’s usually made with red grapes. In the EU it must be made with red grapes. Did you know that grape juice is clear when it’s first pressed? It’s the skin of the grape that makes wine a certain colour.

This means that white wine is made from grapes with light skins. It can also be made with dark-skinned grapes if the skin is separated out before the juice is left to ferment. Red wines are left to ferment with the skins of the dark grapes they’re made from to attain their famous colour.

Now we get to rose. Rose receives it’s colour in a similar way to red. Dark-skinned grapes are lightly crushed and allowed to macerate with their skins for a short time during fermentation, to provide the tipple with a lovely pink blush. The juice is then separated out and fermented in tanks.

How was your Dom Perignon Rose 1996 made?

So next time you break out a bottle of Dom Perignon Rose 1996 bought from the Ideal Wine Company, stop and think. This decadent rose champagne isn’t a crude blend of white and red grape juice. It was lovingly made to provide you with the shining pink glow that no rose-drinking experience is complete without!  

Exceptionally Early Vintage Presents Problems for Wine Makers in South Australia

Reports recently came to the attention of the Ideal Wine Company that there has been an exceptionally early vintage in South Australia this year. This has presented a number of problems for wine makers in the region.

Some wonderful wines are made in Australia

Because we strive to supply you with fantastic fine wines from regions across the world, we couldn’t not feature a range of Australian luxury wines on the Ideal Wine Company product list.

Australia has long been an up and comer in the world of wine production. Today it’s recognised as a wine maker to equal newer entrants to the industry such as Argentina and California, as well as wine making stalwarts such as France and Italy. The country is known for producing high quality Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Semillon vintages, among others.

Early vintage puts pressure on wine makers

Yet reports have recently revealed that the land down under’s lucrative wine industry has come under pressure. According to ABC News, this year’s wine vintage arrived a month earlier than normal in South Australia.

The region’s Winegrape council executive officer, Peter Hackworth, went on to point out that this has put pressure on wine makers in South Australia. It means that they have to readjust to a much tighter picking schedule and this means that some grapes may not make it to the winery, which would spur a loss for the South Australian wine industry.

The grapes can’t get to the winery

Speaking of the significance of the early vintage, Hackworth said that "what it's meant is a lot of the varieties that normally would ripen distinctively apart have tended to come in at the same time." The executive elaborated that "areas such as the warmer inland areas are ripening at the same time as the cool climate areas, so everything is tending to come in at once. It puts a lot of pressure on winery infrastructure."

He went on to explain: "It's extremely difficult for growers - that can create problems because the grapes will ripen and get to an optimum quality… But if they can't get into the winery, the sugar levels increase and the wine goes beyond its optimum and starts to decline. So that has big implications in terms of pricing for grapes too."

South Australia can meet this challenge

Therefore this early harvest could affect South Australia’s 2015 vintage in a number of ways. Yet South Australia is known for the quality of the bottles it produces. We bet the region has what it takes to overcome this challenge and deliver a stellar 2015 vintage. 

Canberra Fine Wines Grow in Popularity

This week the IdealWine Company asks; what is it about Canberra fine wines that has seen them become the vintage of choice over the past few months?

Australia: The Emerging Wine Hotspot

The Ideal Wine Company strives to bring you a range of fine wines from around the world. As such we feature a variety of vintages from emerging wine hotspot Australia.

Its unique climate, varied landscape and glorious weather make Australia the perfect place to produce a bottle destined to delight the senses and dance on the tongue. Therefore the last few decades have seen the land down under become recognised as one of the world’s key fine wine producers.

The Growing Market for Canberra Wine

According to the Canberra Times, the rise of Australia as a luxury vintage producer has spurred the popularity of bottles from one of its lesser known grape-growing regions. Canberra.

Speaking to producers in the region, the publication discovered that demand for Canberra fine wine has been growing for some time. However the last six months have seen producers stretched to their limit as demand for their product soars and Canberra district wine is labelled “the flavour of the month” amongst those in the know.

“We Have Only 40 Cases of Shiraz Left”

Take Bill Crowe from Four Winds, an up-and-coming Canberra wine producer. He revealed to the Times that his family-run winery near Murrumbateman has had to double production every 12 months since it opened four years ago. Recently he even had to increase space for grape fermentation to stay abreast of demand.

Crowe said: "The first year I got to Four Winds vineyard we would have done around 10 tonnes – this year we are doing 56 tonnes… We have only 40 cases of Shiraz left and we will probably sell out of all these wines before the new ones are on."

“Some of the Best Fine Wines in the World.”

Crowe went on to talk about the growing popularity of the Canberra vintage. Crowe said that the region is “making some of the best wines in the world. The Riesling and Shiraz I've had out here is second to none, and we do other varietals extremely well too." 

These sentiments were echoed by Canberra District Wine Industry Association’s John Leyshon. He suggested that "fine wines are the flavour of the month at the moment... There is an increasing demand for Canberra district wine, and its fine wine." Leyshon went on to comment that "Canberra locals don't know how lucky they are ... they've got some of the best wines in Australia only 30 minutes' drive from their front door."

Try a Bottle of Canberra’s Finest

We wish we were that lucky. From the sounds of things Canberra fine wine has become the vintage of choice for one reason. It’s laced with pure quality. Next time you get the chance, the Ideal Wine Company would suggest that you try a bottle of Canberra’s finest for yourself for see what all the fuss is about. 

US Fine Wine Prices to Rise in 2015

New figures have shown the Ideal Wine Company that fine wine prices in the US, known for the quality of its California vintages, are set to rise in 2015.

From Bit Player to Up and Coming Behemoth

As a provider of first-rate luxury vintages for a price that won’t break your bank balance, the Ideal Wine Company strives to bring you fine wines from around the world. We have several vintages from the US’s most famous wine-making region, California.

Once a bit player on the global wine stage, the US is becoming known as an up and coming behemoth in the world of wine making. As such it proved no surprise to the Ideal Wine Company when we heard that US fine wine prices are set to rise in 2015.

US Fine Wine to Rise 14% - 18%

According to Wine Searcher, the Silicon Valley Bank’s (SVB) annual State of the Industry report revealed that US fine wine prices are set to rise 14% - 18% throughout 2015.

Defining fine wine as vintages costing $20 or more, SVB went on to reveal that this comes despite three successive large domestic harvests that have provided the industry with an abundant supply of wine. They also argued that prices will increase despite wine makers’ previous reluctance to charge more for their wares due to the state of the economy.

“It’s the Economy Stupid!”

SVB executive vice president Rob McMillan took the time to speak out on the revelation to Wine Searcher. McMillan was quick to argue that "I really think it's going to be a breakout year" for luxury wine in the US.

When asked what the biggest indicator that the SVB’s prediction would bear fruit was, McMillan proceeded to quote Bill Clinton; "it's the economy, stupid." The vice president elaborated by suggesting that "restaurants are starting to be a little bit more optimistic now," and "that's a big change. 35% of fine wines are sold in restaurants."

Check out the Ideal Wine Company Product List

That could push the prices of US fine wine up around the rest of the world. If you’re looking for a reasonably priced US luxury vintage in 2015, make sure you take the time to check out the Ideal Wine Company product list. 

Ideal Wine Company Guide: How to Spot a Counterfeit Wine

Avoid falling prey to a counterfeit wine scammer and losing your investment, with the Ideal Wine Company guide to spotting a counterfeit wine.

Luxury Wine Scammers They Leave You with Nothing But Swill

At the Ideal Wine Company we have dedicated ourselves to providing you with some of the highest quality luxury wines the global market has to offer for a price that won’t leave you reeling.

As such, we’ve seen this happen countless times. Not everyone comes to a reputable luxury wine provider such as the Ideal Wine Company, and those that don’t, leave themselves unprotected. From here, it’s easy for a luxury wine scammer to lure in an unsuspecting victim with promises of a high quality vintage and leave them with nothing but swill.

Ideal Wine Company’s Top Five Tips for Spotting Counterfeit Wine

You don’t have to take this. Protect your investment and stop a scammer in their tracks with these top five tips for spotting a counterfeit wine:

1. Beware Bordeaux: For some reason scammers love to pass off their low quality swill as Bordeaux, so if it’s a Bordeaux, keep an extra eye out.
2. Presentation is everything: Scammers don’t have the same level of craftsmanship available to them as luxury wine producers, and often, this’ll lead to poor package presentation. If the label’s crooked, for example, you could be dealing with a counterfeit.
3. Glue Residue: An extension of the last tip, if there’s a glue residue around the label, that’s further evidence of poor craftsmanship and is another indicator that you are dealing with a counterfeit.
4. Compare and Contrast: Use the internet, it’s your best friend. Pull up a picture of the luxury wine you’re looking to buy, and compare with the bottle you’re being presented with. You’ll soon see whether you’re being scammed or not. Look at the foil over the cork and contrast as a good baseline.
5. Don’t Trust the Aged: Generally, the older a wine is, the more likely it is to be counterfeit because it’s rarer and harder to find. A good rule of thumb is; if the wine was made before 1980 and priced too low to be true, it probably is.

Don’t fall prey to a counterfeit wine scammer. Use these tips from the Ideal Wine Company to stop them in the tracks and get the most out of your luxury wine investment.