What makes Rosé pink?

We’ve just got past Easter, spring is almost here and there are warmer, sunnier days ahead. It can only mean one thing… Rosé season has begun.

Rosé is a controversial subject, with some feeling its only appeal is its colour. Those that love a glass of summer rosé are often very particular about the shade of pink, often preferring very pale wines, leaving darker coloured wines to get dusty on the shelves. The colour of rosé wine has long been misunderstood. To understand why its colour tells you very little about its sweetness or flavour, it helps to start at the beginning: how rosé wine is actually made.

Wine colour comes from the skins of the grapes where colour, tannins, and many other flavour compounds live. The longer the juice is in contact with skins the deeper the colour will be. White wines, from white grapes, have no contact with the skin at all. The grapes are pressed and skins are separated immediately. Red wine remains in contact with the grape skins throughout fermentation. Rosé wine, from red grapes, is made by carefully controlling and limiting this contact from anything to a few hours to a few days, crafting wines ranging from pale salmon pink to deep ruby rosé.

So where does sweetness come from? The answer lies in fermentation. During fermentation, yeast consumes the natural sugars present in grape juice and converts them into alcohol. If fermentation continues until nearly all the sugar is consumed, the result is a dry wine. If the process is stopped early the wine will retain some residual sugar and taste sweet.

The misconception that darker rosé equals sweeter wine likely comes from visual association. In many foods and drinks, deeper colours often signal richness or sweetness—think of dark syrups or ripe berries. Additionally, some mass-produced rosés with darker hues have historically been made in sweeter styles, reinforcing the stereotype. But in the world of wine, colour is simply not a reliable indicator of sugar content.

Another factor that confuses drinkers is fruitiness. Rosé wines often exhibit bright flavours of strawberry, raspberry, watermelon, and citrus. These fruity notes can give the impression of sweetness, even when the wine contains little to no residual sugar. Our brains are wired to associate fruit flavours with sugar, so a dry rosé can taste “sweet” simply because it is aromatic and vibrant.

Ultimately, the best way to determine whether a rosé is sweet or dry is not by looking at its colour, but by checking the label, understanding the style, or simply tasting it. Terms like “dry,” “off-dry,” or “sweet” may appear on the bottle, though not always. Alcohol level can also offer a clue: lower alcohol wines sometimes retain more sugar, while higher alcohol wines are often drier, since more sugar has been converted during fermentation.

Rosé’s beauty lies in its diversity. It can be light or full-bodied, pale or deeply coloured, crisp or rich. It can pair just as easily with a summer salad as with grilled meats or spicy dishes. Reducing it to a simple equation of “darker pink equals sweeter” overlooks the variation that make rosé so compelling.

In the end, colour is about aesthetics and winemaking technique, not a reliable guide to flavour or sweetness. The next time you pick up a bottle of rosé, take a moment to look beyond the hue. What’s inside the glass is shaped by decisions of the winemakers—decisions that have far more to do with balance, structure, and style than with the shade of pink in your glass.

Rosé wines to try:

Domaine Mas de Lavandes

Mediterranée

Grenache Noir

12.5% ABV

£10.50

Simon Says: “this is our price beating provençal style rosé, with lots of awards to its name. Stunning value and quality with notes of red berries and a fresh and floral mouthfeel”

Chateau Rochesoleil

Côtes de Provence

Grenache Noir, Syrah, Carignan

12.5% ABV

£17.99

Simon Says: “beautiful nose of rose petal and raspberry. Subtle and inviting with a gorgeous supple finish”

Heiderer Mayer

Weinland, Austria

Zweigelt

12.0% ABV

£17.99

Simon Says: “stunning ripe juicy fruits with a bone dry palate of cranberry and raspberry”

Carvers Hill Estate

Wiltshire, England

Pinot Noir

12.0% ABV

£29.99

Simon Says: “Strawberry and cream juicy palate. French refinement, English talent!”