In the selection of wines for The Rosé Wine Report, I was not looking for perfection but for inspiration; for rosés that made me think. And I was pleased to find innovation in many forms, from producers applying techniques known in red and white wine production to those using rosé as a completely fresh testing ground. Die-hards might still champion simple, crisp, fresh fruity rosés as the only true style, but I love the way rosé can touch and overlap with white, orange and red wine styles to create a complex range of flavours. A wide range of colours, textures and complexity brought about by innovative winemaking makes the rosé category so brilliantly exciting, and it’s worth exploring some of these developments in closer detail.

If I am ever asked why I love rosé so much, the answer is here. There are so many producers taking a simple wine and creating such an array of flavours, weight and texture by playing around with the winemaking. Not all experiments work, some are more wacky than others, but the joy is in exploring these nuances and details revealing a wealth of fascinating wines.

More than just a crush

Straight-forward rosé fermentation involves crushing the grapes and fermenting the juice, but innovative rosé makers are playing with different methods including semi-carbonic maceration and infusion.

Carbonic fermentation – ‘invented’ in the 1930s, and probably best known in the production of juicy, fruity Beaujolais Nouveau – involves no crushing at all. Instead, the grapes are put whole into a sealed fermentation tank with carbon dioxide. The grapes start to ferment inside each berry until the berry explodes and normal fermentation takes over. This is adapted for rosé making, with the juice bled off before full fermentation occurs, resulting in a fruitier rosé with a touch more tannic structure. Johannes Zillinger’s Numen and Moulin de la Viguerie’s Combe de Rieux both go through semi-carbonic maceration resulting in very intense, fresh juicy fruit.

Read more: The Rosé Wine Report

Infusion, meanwhile, is the vinous version of a pot of tea. Bodegas Vinicola’s 200 Monges Rosado Reserva and Panoramico’s Clarete Rosado infuse whole uncrushed bunches of Grenache in their Viura juice to create delicate-coloured rosés with intense fruit and texture.

Taking these methods a stage further is partial fermentation on the skins. It’s an orange-wine-meets-rosé formula that can lead to vibrant and textural results. Weingut Georg Weinwurm’s Hommage – Roter Muskateller starts off fermentation on the skins to give Muscat some extra phenolic structure, and Martin Und Anna Arndorfer’s Rosa Marie combines red and white varieties on the skin in tank, wood and concrete tulip for vibrant fruit, spice and texture.

Rounding out the rosé

Used in the production of red wines and in some white wines, malolactic fermentation is generally frowned upon in rosé. The fear is that through it, the rosé will lose its vibrant freshness and zesty acidity. However, for many rosés from hotter regions such as Provence, the amount of malic acid present in the wine is so small, its conversion to creamy lactic acid is barely noticeable. It gives just enough sweet roundness to the wine, often balancing the acidity or tannins present.

The use of malolactic fermentation often depends on the quality of the vintage and is often not even disclosed by the makers. Les Vignes d’Eugène from Château Trinquevedel in Tavel, Tourmaline from Château de Chausse near St Tropez, La Chapelle Rosé from Domaine St Jean de Villecroze at higher altitudes in northern Provence and Exception Syrah from Domaine des Masques on the cooler slopes of Ste Victoire all allow this secondary fermentation to take place.

Cool climate rosés with high acidity may also include full or partial malolactic fermentation to give some rich complexity, while natural wines are also more likely to have undergone malolactic fermentation due to lower sulphur levels (which usually inhibit the process).

Something spontaneous

Most rosé is made with commercial yeast, which works with a faster, more consistent action, guaranteeing the rosé to be market-ready in time for spring. Personally, I love the unexpected profiles of spontaneous fermentation and the large number of high-scoring rosés which are moving away from commercial yeast is showing some innovation and different styles.

But there are also at least two estates in the Report which use another type of yeast altogether. Flor is a thin veil of yeast that covers the surface of the wine and is best known in the making of sherry. It protects the wine from oxidation and can give a subtle flavour often described as salty, nutty or herbaceous. Clos Cibonne in Provence is probably the most famous rosé producer with a flor presence. Their Tradition cuvée, aged in 100-year-old foudres, shows beautiful notes of flor. For an exciting new example of this style, look to Vinevenom’s Shining from South Africa.

Oak rising up

While there is certainly nothing new about fermenting and ageing in barrel, oaked rosés have proven to be a highly contentious style. Winemakers from northern Spain are certainly masters in the creation of oaked rosé, applying learnings from the historic tradition of Gran Reserva and Reserva wines.

Sacha Lichine launched Garrus in 2007, made in a Burgundian style with Bordeaux winemaker Patrick Léon, and modernised the method to combine crisp freshness with oak. Publicity focused on the high price and cast a spotlight on oaked rosé.

As with red and white wines, the use of wood is variable, but the balance of the wine’s fruit and structure with the wood is important: oak that’s too brutish can overwhelm rosé. Many aim for an invisible use of wood with producers using 1st or 2nd fill barrels, larger sizes and wood lightly steamed rather than toasted – or the more gently floral acacia. Gerard Bertrand uses a mix of sizes, ages and types of wood for fermentation and ageing to create an invisible wood presence for Clos du Temple. Château de la Selve uses ex-Château d’Yquem barrels. For its Rage Against The Dying Light label, UK producer Gutter and Stars uses American oak for greater sweet spice, as does Rioja’s Bodega Akutain. From the same region, Alma Tobia, meanwhile, favours tight-grained Allier oak with softer tannins.

Beyond the barrels

The vast majority of rosé is made in a reductive method, avoiding oxygen, in stainless steel tanks with the ability to control temperature – this gives fresh, clean fruit flavours in the benchmark rosé style.

Using oak is still highly controversial given its dominant character, so a growing number of producers are experimenting with alternative vessels that give texture or more oxidative character to the wine without distracting from the purity of fruit. Cement, eggs, amphora, jarres, qveri and even marble are being used for both fermentation and/or ageing.

There are a number of important decisions to make, from the degree of porosity to the shape of the vessel. For Ramón Bilbao’s Lalomba Finca Lalinde Rosé, winemaker Rosana Lisa did considerable research on the impact of different levels of porosity for her concrete fermentation tanks.

Poggio al Tesoro’s Cassiopea Pagus Cerbaia uses both amphora and oak, giving texture and structure. Domaine Skouras’ Peplo from Nemea, Greece, uses acacia barrels, amphora and tank to give a structured elegance where the winemaking is barely evident.