Rosé Champagne

The pink version of Champagne—in addition to looking festive—can pair with a wide range of foods, from hors d'oeuvres and cheeses to shellfish, poultry, and pastas with cream-based sauces. More often than not, rosé Champagnes are just as dry and minerally as their white counterparts and are made from the same three grape varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The real difference is the color, which is achieved by one of two methods. In the first method, a producer may choose to blend a little red wine with the base white. Champagne is the only appellation in France that allows the blending of red and white wine together. This process takes place before the second fermentation in the bottle, which gives Champagne its sparkle. Method two is called saignée, the French term for bleeding, since the color is derived—or bled—from the grape skins rather than from blending.