How do they make Rosé wines?

Gone will be my enthuastic description of rosé winemaking...

I have on more than one occasion been asked. How do they make rosé wines?
- Do they just mix red and white wine?-

I was always quite pleased to point at that NO- it was not so simple as simply blending red and white wines- but rather rosé wines were the result of red grapes macerated for a short time and an initial bleeding of rosé colour juice.

However possibly in the near future, simple blending of red and white wines to make rosé will be allowed in the EU! Taking away from rosé producers the pride they take in their traditional methods of rosé production. All producers across Europe will be allowed to throw together red and white wine and call it rosé.

Before I make any judgements, I would like to taste some of these blended concoctions. However I do think that it would be important to have a way to identify and differentiate between blended red and white grape rosés and those only from red grapes.

Then again there are several ways to make sparkling wine, and there is no required distinction made to let the customer know which method was used. I guess it is the same idea for these new rosés.

Well see how it plays out...

Everything Will Eventually Kill You?

We are continually bombarded with new scientific research that shows a variety of links between our consumption habits and our health.

It seems however in the end that we are lost among continually conflicting scientific evidence. We no longer know who or what to believe.

Just recently a study completed by the British Medical Journal linked wine consumption and breast cancer. In fact the study is summarized in an article on the guardian.co.uk and has the title "Even moderate drinking affects women's cancer risk".

The title is enough to just get you thinking. But if that's not enough in the introduction of the article there is the statement "the research, carried out among more than a million UK women, says that alcohol accounts for 5,000 cases of breast cancer every year."

5000 cases of breast cancer a year being blamed on alcohol consumption. That's quite a difficult number to swallow. What about all the other factors which can be involved in possible breast cancer risk...

Now what are we supposed to do and decide?

After hearing about all the positive links between moderate red wine consumption and reduced cardiovascular risks, we now have a negative link to cancer. So even though drinking can reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, women now will worry that moderate drinking will increase their risk of developing breast cancer.

Is it a toss up now? Which would you rather suffer from?

There are so many other issues too that have their pro's and con's.

-Sun exposure increases your risk of developing skin cancer, but decreases your risk of having deteriorating bones due to osteoporosis.
- Green tea can is full of beneficial antioxidants, but reduces iron absorption.

So what can you do? In the end all of our consumption and behavioural habits are linked to either positive or negative impacts on our future health.

It's a lose/lose situation in the end.

We just need to come to terms with the fact that what should really be important is to follow what we feel makes us happy and content as individuals.

Cause truly in the end happy and content people live longer and healthier lives no doubt about.

We cannot live life to the fullest if the thought that comes in mind, as we are sipping an ever so enjoyable glass of wine or enjoying a rich piece of delicious chocolate cake, is that we are slowly walking ourselves to the grave.

Relax and don't stress about it. People who are less stressed also live longer!