A
rosé (from French
rosé; also known as
rosado in Portugal and Spanish-speaking countries and
rosato in Italy) is a type of
wine that incorporates some of the
color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a
red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the
skin contact method. The pink color can range from a pale "
onion"-skin orange to a vivid near-purple, depending on the varietals used and
winemaking techniques. There are three major ways to produce rosé wine: skin contact, saignée and
blending. Rosé wines can be made still,
semi-sparkling or
sparkling and with a wide range of
sweetness levels from bone-dry
Provençal rosé to sweet
White Zinfandels and blushes. Rosé wines are made from a wide variety of grapes and can be found all around the globe.