Rosé has become

one of the most popular types

of wine in the world. 

It is also widely misunderstood.

There’s a common misconception that

winemakers randomly blend their B-grade red wine

with their B-grade white wine

and voila!,

they have rosé.

Nope.

Admittedly, there are some questionable producers

who do mix red with white and pass it off as rosé.

But that’s not true rosé. 

That’s nothing more than blended wine…and sketchy marketing.

Real rosé is the result of a very specific process.

Rosé is produced when,

right after grapes are crushed,

the grape skins are left in the juice 

for a short period of time.

Generally speaking,  

 if the skins are removed immediately,

you get white wine. 

If they are left in the juice longer,

you wind up with red wine. 

Straddle those two ends of the skin-contact spectrum

and you get rosé.

Rosé can be made from most every type of grape…

usually red but occasionally white.

For Wine Thursday!

our weekly good-wine-at-a-good-price

that-you-can-find recommendation,

we’re focusing on a rosé

made from a grape common to France

but uncommon to the US.

Abacela 2018 Grenache Rosé 

 From their winery in Roseburg, Oregon,

the folks at Abacela often take the path less traveled.

Grenache rosé usually comes from southern France,

not southern Oregon. 

But for years now,

Abacela has been producing

the exception to the rule.  

  This is not your grandmother’s boring sweet rosé. 

It’s grapefruit-tart and pleasantly tangy…

bright, crisp and loaded with acid.

There are many lacklustre rosés on the market.

Unlike those, this grenache rosé gets your attention…

in a good way.

We found Abacela 2018 Grenache Rosé

at Trader Joe’s for $14.99,

at Fred Meyer for $16.99

and at New Seasons 

and Market of Choice for $17.99.