Wine 101: The History of Rosé Part I: Massalia
Spring is here, and like clockwork, rosé has reentered the collective consciousness. Although we’ve briefly touched upon the pink-hued wine here on “Wine 101” in the past, we’ve never taken the time to recount its origins — until now.
Truth be told, historians haven’t pinned down an exact date that indicates when the style was invented, but there are bits of information out there that can help us piece its history together. What we do know is that the origins of rosé trace back to 7th century BCE when the region now known as Provence was largely populated by tribespeople called the Ligures. Eventually, Greeks and Turks trickled into the area, started cultivating wine grapes, and established the colony of Massalia. Over the next few centuries, the Romans took over and made Massalia into a massive trade hub, further bolstering its wine industry. What happened next is a bit foggy, but the light maceration of various wine varieties likely led to the birth of some of the world’s earliest examples of rosé.
On this episode of “Wine 101,” Keith kicks off a new series unpacking the somewhat murky history of rosé and its rise to prominence over the years. Tune in for more.
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“Wine 101” was produced, recorded, and edited by yours truly, Keith Beavers, at the VinePair headquarters in New York City. I want to give a big old shout-out to co-founders Adam Teeter and Josh Malin for creating VinePair. Big shout-out to Danielle Grinberg, the art director of VinePair, for creating the most awesome logo for this podcast. Also, Darby Cicci for the theme song. And I want to thank the entire VinePair staff for helping me learn something new every day. See you next week.
*Image retrieved from Fenea Silviu via stock.adobe.com
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