Rosé

Direct press (the Provençal method) gives pale color and delicacy. Short maceration gives more structure. Saignée — bleeding juice from a red tank — can make a serious rosé and a more concentrated red. Blending red into white is mostly a Champagne trick.

Darker is not sweeter. White Zinfandel taught that lie. Tavel is dark and dry; many Provençal bottles are pale and dry; White Zin is pale and sweet. Read the palate, not the postcard.

Serve cold. Drink most within a year or two. Bandol, Tavel, and some Spanish rosados can age. Pair with anything you would eat outside.