Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo shows why one should not judge a rosé by its colour

It’s dusk and the sea is stormy. However, inside Trabocco Punta Cavalluccio, a restaurant inside an old fishing hut (trabocco) set on a wooden pier, the evening’s service is proceeding calmly. There is fresh seafood on the table — oysters, clams, octopus carpaccio, sea bass, even babbalucci (snails cooked in tomato sauce) — all washed down by the excellent, dry local wines.

We are in a small village in Abruzzo in south-east Italy, bounded by the Gran Sasso mountains and the Adriatic Sea. Abruzzo may be lesser known than other Italian regions such as Tuscany, Piedmont or Veneto. But these days, it seems to be at the centre of a wine renaissance.

Abruzzo may be lesser known than other Italian regions such as Tuscany, Piedmont or Veneto. But these days, it seems to be at the centre of a wine renaissance.

Newer styles of wine are being created from ancient, local grape varieties, to give us fresh, easy to drink yet quality wines.

Of these, one of the most interesting is a rosé style called the cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, which, in 2010, became Italy’s newest DOC (rules on area of production and winemaking).

The cerasuolo, so dubbed after cherries, whose deep red colour it shares, is a rosé that does not look like the stereotypical blush trending on Instagram since two-three years.

This rosé is made from montepulciano grapes that also go into the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo — the more wellknown red wine from this region commonly found even on Indian wine lists as a sort of a mediumpriced, medium-quality drink.

The cerasuolo d’ Abruzzo, on the other hand, is a far more interesting wine produced by limited contact of the grape skin with the juice. Even a few hours of contact gives this wine a darker colour than the pretty pink most rose drinkers seem to expect. However, do not judge a rosé (or any other wine) by its colour. Most cerasuolos that I try are fresh, dry and express the fruit and herbs of the landscape. In short, these are delicious summer wines without the disgusting cloying sweetness of badly made rosés.

Many of these wines are relatively high on alcohol — I tried those with 13.5% ABV (alcohol by volume), which is at par with many Bordeaux or Amarone reds. That is because of the region’s unique terroir that influences its winemaking.

The sea and the mountains are just 40 km apart in Abruzzo. So the sea air warms even the vineyards on high altitudes, leading to higher alcohol content in the wines. However, when you taste the cerasuolos, you do not feel the alcohol — the wines are still zesty and fresh.

Pretty is as pretty does
What wines such as cerasuolos prove is that it is not necessary to dismiss rosé just as a pretty phenomenon without character or quality. The world over (except India perhaps), rosés are in fashion because of their visual appeal.

Actors Angelina Jolie and Drew Barrymore have posed with their rosés. The wine from Jolie’s Château Miraval vineyard in France has even won an award. Then there are Instagram accounts such as @YesWayRose that sell all sorts of pink merchandise from being an account devoted to rosé. All of this seems to have sparked the interest of millennials in rosés. There was 64% growth in rosé category in the US in 2018, according to Nielsen State of the Wine Industry Report.

Much before the rediscovery of the rosé, however, the wine, in popular imagination, meant the clear summer blues in the south of France. Provence with its pinot noirs was rosé country and it still produces some of the best.

However, the huge interest in the category in the US and the UK means that other rosé styles are emerging from unexpected estates and regions.

For instance, earlier this year, Mouton Cadet, the leading Bordeaux wine producer, announced the release of its 2018 Mouton Cadet Rosé made from merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc (different grape varieties). Clearly, the phenomenon is getting more pervasive.

Madhulika Dhall who runs the La Cave chain of wine stores, told me about how almost every big wine producer she has met at global fairs such as the Vinexpo in Bordeaux or Prowien in Germany in the last two-three years have a rosé category to showcase. “However, in India, most people only think of sweet and cheap rosés though well-made ones are neither cheap nor necessarily sweet at all,” she says.

Part of the problem is traditional associations with brands such as Mateus Rosé — the sweet frizzante from Portugal that is popular in India too but has ruined palates, in my opinion. In India, options of rosés are limited, with most restaurants listing just about two to four of these.

However, this summer, if you are travelling, you can try interesting and better wines in this category.

The cerasuolo apart, try the rosés from Argentina made from the trending malbec, a grape that you associate with tannic reds than rosés. Or you can try the unusual London Cru made with pinot noir by the Cliff Roberson winery that was launched just six years ago in the United Kingdom, which is emerging as a new wine-making region.

Some of the most iconic rosés need not necessarily be drunk young and fresh since they have a great potential to age. Domaine Tempier Bandol — the iconic Provencal rosé — is one example as are some of the quality Rioja rosé from Spain. Then, wine experts like Jancis Robinson recommend the newly emerging roses from the area around Montpellier.

In the end, whatever you drink, just do better than judge a rosé by its colour.

(The writer looks at restaurant trends, food history and culinary cultures)