Henkell Rose Finest Sparkling Wine Dry-Sec
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Only the finest quality wines from the best wine-growing regions of France are used for the production of Henkell Rose. Fresh aromas of red berries underscored by a slight note of caramel. Perfect as an aperitif paired with appetizers or light fish dishes, grilled salmon, fruit and chocolate desserts.
In 1832, Adam Henkell founded a wine merchant company and soon thereafter, moved to France to master sparkling wine production. Recognizing the quality potential for a German sparkling wine, Henkell returned in 1856 to his native Germany and set his sights on producing quality sparkling wine on German soil.
Twenty-five years after creating his wine merchant business, Henkell had a wine cellar and sparkling wine facility built in the city of Wiesbaden in Southwestern Germany. The city, often called the “Gateway to the Rheingau”, sits on the northern bank of the Rhine River. The Rheingau is one of Germany’s 13 officially recognized regions for quality wine production (QbA) and extends along the banks of the Rhine River.
What makes Henkell so distinct is the perfect marriage of the Charmat Method and the Méthode Champenoise. Unlike most sparkling wines produced utilizing the Charmat Method, Henkell leaves the wine in stainless steel for six months for a slow natural fermentation. After six months, the sparkling wine is bottled and then aged for a minimum of three additional months. This unique method of producing high-quality sparkling wine gives Henkell a rich complexity, with a fruit forward lightness that is distinctly German and most uniquely Henkell.
What are the different types of sparkling rosé wine?
Rosé sparkling wines like Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, and others make a fun and festive alternative to regular bubbles—but don’t snub these as not as important as their clear counterparts. Rosé Champagnes (i.e., those coming from the Champagne region of France) are made in the same basic way as regular Champagne, from the same grapes and the same region. Most other regions where sparkling wine is produced, and where red grape varieties also grow, also make a rosé version.
How is sparkling rosé wine made?
There are two main methods to make rosé sparkling wine. Typically, either white wine is blended with red wine to make a rosé base wine, or only red grapes are used but spend a short period of time on their skins (maceration) to make rosé colored juice before pressing and fermentation. In either case the base wine goes through a second fermentation (the one that makes the bubbles) through any of the various sparkling wine making methods.
What gives rosé Champagne and sparkling wine their color and bubbles?
The bubbles in sparkling wine are formed when the base wine undergoes a secondary fermentation, which traps carbon dioxide inside the bottle or fermentation vessel. During this stage, the yeast cells can absorb some of the wine’s color but for the most part, the pink hue remains.
How do you serve rosé sparkling wine?
Treat rosé sparkling wine as you would treat any Champagne, Prosecco, Cava, and other sparkling wine of comparable quality. For storing in any long-term sense, these should be kept at cellar temperature, about 55F. For serving, cool to about 40F to 50F. As for drinking, the best glasses have a stem and a flute or tulip shape to allow the bead (bubbles) and beautiful rosé hue to show.
How long do rosé Champagne and sparkling wine last?
Most rosé versions of Prosecco, Champagne, Cava or others around the “$20 and under” price point are intended for early consumption. Those made using the traditional method with extended cellar time before release (e.g., Champagne or Crémant) can typically improve with age. If you are unsure, definitely consult a wine professional for guidance.
As the world’s northernmost fine wine producing region, Germany faces some of the most extreme climatic and topographic challenges in viticulture. But fortunately this country’s star white wine variety, Riesling, is cold-hardy enough to survive freezing winters, and has enough natural acidity to create balance, even in wines with the highest levels of residual sugar. Riesling responds splendidly to Germany’s variable terroir, allowing the country to build its reputation upon fine wines at all points of the sweet to dry spectrum, many of which can age for decades.
Classified by ripeness at harvest, Riesling can be picked early for dry wines or as late as January following the harvest for lusciously sweet wines. There are six levels in Germany’s ripeness classification, ordered from driest to sweetest: Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein (ice wine). While these German wine classifications don’t exactly match the sweetness levels of the finished wines, the Kabinett category will include the drier versions and anything above Auslese will have noticeable—if not noteworthy—sweetness. Eiswein is always remarkably sweet.
Other important German white wine varieties include Müller-Thurgau as well as Grauburguner (Pinot Gris) and Weissburguner (Pinot Blanc). The red wine, Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir), grown in warmer pockets of the country can be both elegant and structured.
As the fourth largest wine producer in Europe (after France, Italy and Spain), in contrast to its more Mediterranean neighbors, Germany produces about as much as it consumes—and is also the largest importer of wine in the E.U.