Falling on Saturday 5 February, New Zealand Rosé Day is just in time to kick off Waitangi weekend in style and celebrate this country’s premium pinks which have soared in popularity with Kiwis.
New Zealand Rosé Day, coupled with Waitangi weekend, is the perfect opportunity for you to showcase this pretty in pink wine on your summer menu.
Established seven years ago by Sip NZ, Rosé Day is designed to support local producers and raise awareness of premium New Zealand Rosé which now offers a wide variety of styles, sweetness levels and price points.
Rosé is the fastest growing wine variety in the country, and while it goes perfectly with a warm day, the variety is no longer considered only suited to summer sipping, but is now enjoying year-round popularity.
Expanding Rosé sections on supermarket shelves are commonplace – sales have doubled in recent years - which means customers will also be expecting to see more of them on your menu. And while there’s an instant appeal in the pretty selection of colours and styles, there’s much more to the story than rainbow hues and appealing labels.
Rosé is now the fourth largest New Zealand wine export, exporting 7.9 million litres globally in 2021 - double that of 2018 when New Zealand exported 3.6 million litres of Rosé, and 10 times that of 2010 at just 0.56 million litres.
Every wine region throughout New Zealand produces Rosé so chances are wherever you are based, you won’t be far from a winery producing a premium pink drop. Celebrating Waitangi weekend with a Rosé-based special on your menu is a great way to create a true dining experience - something that savvy consumers are expecting more and more.
Did you know?
- Rosé is not a grape variety nor is it made by mixing red and white wine together, it is made by lightly crushing red grapes and only leaving the grape juice to macerate with the red skins for a short time.
- The final shade of pink relates to the grape variety used as well as the length of skin contact permitted between juice and pigment-rich grape skins.
- Darker Rosé usually has deeper flavours and the more tannic qualities of red wine.
- There are two distinct styles of Rosé - blush and dry. Blush Rosés are usually lighter in colour, less acidic and lower in alcohol. Dry Rosés are less sweet, usually darker in colour, with more of the flavours associated with red wine.
- Rosé is best served in a medium-sized glass so that the fresh and fruity characteristics gather towards the top.
- Serve Rosé chilled but not too cold or you’ll kill the flavour. If in doubt follow the 20:20 rule and take it out of the fridge 20 mins before serving.
- There's a Rosé to suit most food types and occasions - Rosé is great with savoury tapas, seafood, light pasta dishes and many Thai, Indian and Mediterranean-style dishes.
