🍷 Saignée rosé
Rosé made from juice bled off a vat of red wine early in fermentation.
Saignée rosé is pink wine made by "bleeding". The French word saignée means bleeding. The winemaker fills a tank with dark grapes for red wine and, after a few hours or a day, drains off part of the juice while it is still pink. This drained juice ferments on its own and becomes rosé wine.
The method has two goals. The red wine left in the tank becomes denser and more intense, because there is less juice for the same amount of skins. The drained juice turns into a rosé that is usually darker, juicier and stronger than direct-press rosé.
This is what sets saignée apart from rosé made on purpose, where grapes are pressed gently straight away for a pale colour. The method is widely used in France and is part of the French wine tradition, but producers elsewhere use it too. Saignée is one of several ways to make rosé wine, and it is closely tied to making red wine.
Links
- Part of
- 🍷 Rosé
- Where it is made
- 🗺️ French wine
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Rosé, 🍷 Red wine
Frequently asked questions
What does saignée mean on a rosé label?
It means the juice was drained from a red wine tank early in fermentation. Such rosé is usually darker and fuller than average.
How is saignée different from direct-press rosé?
Direct-press rosé comes from grapes pressed at once for a pale wine. Saignée rosé is a by-product of making red wine.
Why do wineries make saignée rosé?
It concentrates the red wine, and the drained juice is not wasted. It becomes a separate rosé.
Similar
🍷 Blended rosé · 🍷 Vin gris · 🍷 Clairet · 🍷 Clarete · 🍷 Blush wine · 🍷 Chiaretto
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.