This article discusses the way Australia and other countries are making rose wine by only mixing together white and red varieties, and issues France has with this.

Australia has produced some very popular wines over the years and has a climate conducive to producing bottles considered some of the best in the world. Other surrounding countries such as New Zealand and Fiji are now getting in on the act and are growing their stakes in the market by experimenting with innovative wine production.

Very recently there was a great deal of contention over the allowing of wine produces to make rose wine, simply by mixing together the white and red varieties. Rose is normally made by separating the juice from the red grape skins before too much of the red colour can be absorbed into the liquid. However, spurred on by the squeeze of the global recession on wine produces, a number of countries passed a law saying that producers could now sell blended wine (white will a dash of red) under the label of rose.

Countries such as France, widely considered the finest wine producing country in the world, were not best pleased with this “mutilation” of rose wine and did not agree for it to be sold in their country, or even be given as wine gifts. However, some countries, including those surrounding Australia have allowed the wine to be produced, and it is certainly paving dividends for their wine producers. A spokesman from the New Zealand alcohol authority defended his country’s move by stating that people are free to consume whichever wine they wish. The companies that produce this blended form of rose wine do not use any trickery to try and sell it as the traditionally made variety, and there are clear differences in the pricing. The spokesman argued that if people can make milk chocolate in a thousand different ways, why can the same not be done for rose?

The blending together of some of the most popular wine varieties is another practice that is really taking off in Australasian countries.In Fiji for example you can buy Chenin Blanc mixed with Pinot Grigio and Tempranillo blended with Cabernet Franc. Fiji seem to have similar opinions to the wine makers in New Zealand and have said that they are able to blend their wine just as well as a whisky maker might blend two single malts to make a great blended drink. They state that companies all over the world, and in particular Scotland, produce some very fine blended whiskies that not only often taste superior to single malts, but that are also able to sell at more modest prices. Next they will be telling us which tableware we must use when consuming the wine, stated one official.

The natives of Fiji have really taken a liking to this new blended wine, with around 150,000 bottles sold last year alone. Many might consider this to be a small about, but relative to the population of Fiji, which is around 850,000, this rate of sale is incredibly high. The blended wine is already drunk in many of the surrounding countries, but there are hopes to extend the export to every country and the Fiji producers are confident it will catch on.

Jill has always loved wine and has travelled the world discovering the very best varieties. She is currently writing for http://www.johnjenkinsdirect.co.uk/

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