Walla Walla Wine Word for Dummies: Weekly Wine Word Wednesday

The Weekly Walla Walla Wine Word for Dummies: Saignée

 

Saignée is the French word meaning, "bleed" (pronounced “sen-yay”). Sounds delicious, doesn't it? Okay, so it may not sound exactly appetizing, but the results can be tasty especially when it is applied to red wine grapes and used for  pretty pink rosés. 

During crush, red grapes are processed as usual, de-stemmed and crushed. And as usual, the grape skins will separate from the juice and will rise, creating a "cap." At this time, winemakers who are looking to produce a rosé will separate the juice from the skins. The pink juice will be pumped or “bled” into barrels or tanks to ferment. 

 

This method is also referred to as “cap and drain.” The free-run juice is now treated like a white wine and most often allowed to ferment to dry. All the taste of the red grape varietal, such as Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese, but much lighter and crisper for the long hot summer months - - and in a variety of colors from pale peach to hot warm pink.