Is the EU getting rid of rose wine?
Question: Is the EU getting rid of rose wine?
These are articles about a proposal to allow for a less expensive production method for making rose wine. It is not a proposal to get rid of rose altogether, or to get rid of the higher quality production methods. The articles don’t specifically indicate, but I assume it is referring to the laws of controlled appellations only (AOC, DOC, DO, etc.)
There are several methods for making rose wine …
one method involves blending red wine with white wine. This is considered to be an inferior method of making rose and it is illegal in most parts of the EU. The articles are about a proposal to relax the rules so EU producers can make rose using this method. Although it is not directly stated, it would be safe to assume that the proposal has been presented so that producers can compete with inexpensive cheap imports in their own market and/or so they can export inexpensive cheap wine to other markets. Quality conscious producers obviously have a problem with this and have expressed their opinions. I will post information on rose wine production methods later this week.
Many proposals get presented in France to change/modify wine laws but very few actually pass that blatantly go against traditional methods. Not too much surprise that this proposal was defeated. As we spoke about in class last night, sometimes EU laws are good (preserve traditional methods and classic wine styles) – and sometimes they are not (not all traditional methods are the best, stifles creativity and competition.)
On a side note – make note that they do mention a few controlled appellations in the EU where it is legal to make rose by blending red and white wine – most notably in Champagne, one of the higher quality wine-producing regions of the EU.
(Eric Asimov (second NYT article above) is an excellent wine writer and highly respected in the wine industry.)
Savant Wines 
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