Get to Know the Lush, Fruity World of Saignée Rosé

The wide world of rosé encompasses wines that can be juicy, sweet, dry and inflected with minerality. These qualities are a function of how the wine is made.

There are two ways to make rosé: the most commonly used method, direct press, and the saignée method. Saignée rosé is made by draining a portion of juice from a tank of grapes on its way to becoming red wine. 

“To me, the saignée method leans better for someone who wants immediate gratification of fruit on the palate,” says Brion Cephus, events and marketing manager for Assorted Table Wine & Shop in Charlotte, North Carolina. “Texturally, they’re a bit more lush as well.”

How Do You Pronounce Saignée?

Pronounced “sohn-yay,” this French term translates “to bleed,” and refers to the red juice that is removed from the tank of grapes. The color tends to be deeper than direct-press rosé, a style for which the light, racy pink wines of Provence are famous.

What Does Saignée Mean in Winemaking?

One of the reasons that saignée rose is often darker and punchier in flavor is due to having a little extra time on the skins. The skins of red grapes are where red wine gets its color, as well as flavor compounds and tannins. 

To make a saignée rose, a portion of the juice is “bled” off the tank of crushed red grapes. What’s left in the tank goes on to continue fermenting into red wine, now with an increased skin-to-juice ratio. The resulting red wine is concentrated with a deep color. The juice that is removed is put into a separate tank and goes on to ferment into rosé. 

Cephus explains the method to his guests by comparing it to reducing a sauce on the stovetop. “It’s a lot more concentrated in flavor, which is why it’s typically only done on your medium to full-bodied reds,” says Cephus. “Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon—those grapes typically work better.”