Got a dining question you're too embarrassed to ask your server about? Ask Zagat.
This week we go to a question submitted by Zagat member hudsong631: "Here's one that my wife and I always debate over at dinner – she loves to drink "rose" wine and I always tell her each time that it's the same as Zinfandel – the kind you can get at your local supermarket for 4.99. She swears there is a vast difference – I disagree. So, what's the difference between rose and Zinfandel?"
Before we could get an expert to answer, Zagat member RebeccaD343557 pointed out the main difference between the two: "Whereas you are probably thinking of the nasty sweet White Zin from the 80's, a good rose can be made from any red grape varietal, or combination of grapes (incl white)."
In other words, not all Rosés are made from Zinfandel grapes. For further elucidation on the topic, we turned to Roger Dagorn, Master Sommelier at New York's Chanterelle restaurant:
Zagat Buzz: What is the difference between White Zinfandel and Rosé?
Dagorn: Zinfandel is a red grape variety – in its original form it is a full-bodied, hearty red wine. [Rosé is a type of wine.] You see, red wines get the color from the skin; the juice itself is clear. If it is macerated with the skin it takes on that color. That’s why all red wine starts off as clear juice.
With times changing in California in the '60s and '70s, red Zinfandel was no longer popular and so Sutter Home – which had planted lots of Zinfandel – had the bright idea that they were going to harvest their Zinfandel, crush it and remove the skins before it tainted the clear juice.
By fermenting that clear juice they made White Zinfandel, and with a little bit of tinting it could become a Rosé. They called it blush.
It was all marketing but it took off and became quite popular as White Zinfandel or blush wine. Those are not as popular as they used to be though, and mostly Zinfandel is back to its original state as being a red wine.
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