blush wine

n.
Any of several wines having a pink tinge.

Californian term for rosé wines.

In the United States, the phrase "blush wine" has almost replaced that of rosé, which is considered somewhat passé. Initially, the term applied to very pale-colored rosé wines. Today, however, it's used to encompass a full spectrum of wines that, like rosés, are generally made with red grapes. The juice has had only brief (2 to 3 days') contact with the stems and skins-the reason for the wines' pale color. The term "blush," however, is broadly used to describe wines that can range in color from various shades of pink to pale orange to light red. Unlike the common rosé, blush wines can range from dry to sweet and may be light- to medium-bodied. They should be served chilled-but not icy-and may accompany a variety of lightly flavored foods.

Called blanc de noir or rosé in France, blush wine is an American generic name given to wines that vary in color from pale pink to apricot to salmon. Such wines are generally produced from red grapes by quickly removing the skins from the juice after the grapes are pressed. This technique stops the transfer of color from the dark pigments in the grape's skin, and the wine continues its processing as for white wine. Introduced in the United States in the late 1970s, blush wines found popularity in the early 1980s as the white-wine boom took off and producers searched for a channel for the red-grape surplus. Today, some producers create blush wine by mixing red and white wines. Blush wines usually go by other names, such as blanc de pinot noir cabernet blanc white zinfandel or pinot vin gris. Most of these wines are slightly sweet, although some are quite dry with just a whisper of residual sugar. Wines labeled vin gris are usually fairly dry and often have some wood aging.

Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: pinkish table wine from red grapes whose skins were removed after fermentation began
  Synonyms: pink wine, rose, rose wine

---