19 Apr ‘Onion-skin’ Rosé, fresh summer wines

A decade ago, white wines dominated overwhelmingly the wine menus of seafood restaurants in Ibiza (and almost in the rest of the world too). Red wines were ordered sporadically, but always had an acceptable stock for serving those customers that weren’t into Muscats, Chardonnays or Albariños. The demand of known champagnes was also minor in relation to its current supremacy, and the demand for rosé was very little.

In fact, the rosé always had the stigma of being considered a second class wine; a product in no man’s land, between the sweetness of white wine and the strength of red wine. A circumstance that has relegated it to ostracism for decades. However, the need of the wineries to innovate and the technological advances in the production and aging process has seen the birth, just over a decade ago, of a new generation of rosé wines that is here to stay: the so-called “onion-skin” rosé. This kind of rosé wine stands out for its minimum pigmentation, a surprising intensity and a persistent richness of nuances when even served at a temperature between 6 and 8 degrees.

Today, the “onion-skin” is as common as white wine and champagne, and our wine menu dedicates them an extensive section. We can highlight the Provence rosé wines, highly demanded, even in magnum format. But also rosé wines from Catalonia, Ribera del Duero and, of course, Ibiza.

Made with grapes of the island, preferably Monastrell, Tempranillo or Syrah, and grown in the Sant Mateu area (north of the island), the brand Ibizkus makes their “onion-skin” variety, which always surprises our customers. Today it is an important asset in the wine cellars of some of the best restaurants in the world and, of course, at Es Torrent too.

The way to get that characteristic soft color –an unmistakable pale salmon tone, is to remove the pomace of the fermentation of the must after a few hours, in order to give it the desired hue. This is indeed a very interesting alternative that, in our opinion, has put rosé wines at the same level as white and red wines. There are no wine typologies anymore regarding first and second class, but instead great and not so great wines. At Es Torrent we like to have only those that offer the highest quality and the widest range of hints.

Salud!