How Rosé is Made
There are three methods by which rosés are generally made:
Skin contact: Juice and skins are left in contact for a short period of time, such as a day or two, before the skins are removed and the juice is left to ferment as usual.
Saignée: This involves bleeding off some of the red wine in a barrel before the maceration process has made the juice very dark.
Blending: Though this method is considered a bit gauche, some wine makers blend reds and whites to achieve a rosé. This method is mostly used in the Champagne region–the only region sanctioned to use this process.
Our Atlas Sparkling Rose is DOC made from a beautiful blend of 85% Glera 15% Pinot Noir. This unique process results in an amazing rose color and tremendous bubbles with subtle sweetness.
What does DOC mean in wine?
Italian wine label classifications are part of Italy’s appellation system for wine. There are four Italian wine classifications: Vino da Tavola (VdT), Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT), Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC), and Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG). Together, the DOC and DOCG levels are called Denominazione d’Origine Protetta (DOP). These label classifications help consumers understand the quality of the wine they are buying and where it came from.
Some classifications can be found on the label of the bottle. All DOCG wines and some DOC wines will have a paper band containing a serial number that covers the cork or wraps around the neck of the wine bottle.
DOC?
Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC): The highest quality level is Denominazione di Origine Controllata, or DOC, which means “designation of controlled origin.” There are 329 different DOCs in Italy, which cover many types of wine, from the sparkling wines of Prosecco, to the Vin Santo dessert wines of Tuscany, to a wide range of red and white wines across the country. Each DOC has its own rules about permitted grape varieties, maximum harvest yields, and aging requirements.
What does that mean?
In summary, if the wine has a DOC or DOCG rating you can be assured of its high quality. Make sure there's a paper band containing the DOC serial number.
Try our Atlas Handcrafted Rose Prosecco, it's got all the hallmarks of a great wine and its incredibly stunning too!
