Rosé vs Red Wine

In a world full of lots of divine wines for us to sit back, relax, and enjoy, where do you start on deciding which wine is for you? With such great wines around the world, you don’t want to waste your time on anything other than the best.

Both rosé wine and red wine are popular drinks across the world because they are:

• Delicious
• Refreshing
• Incredibly indulgent

Wine complements a variety of meals and can be used as a cooking ingredient. However, the best way to enjoy wine is to simply sit back, relax, crack open a bottle, and fill your glass to the brim.

Taking some time to yourself to sip on a luxurious wine helps people to feel calm, relaxed, and incredibly happy. There really is nothing like lounging in the sun with a glass of wine, is there?

Find out more about rosé vs red wine below!

Red Wine Background

Red wine is a classic wine that is very popular in France and Spain. There are lots of different varieties of red wine that are all very popular but also have slightly different characteristics. This makes red wine popular for lots of occasions, not just fancy dinners!

How is such a popular wine made to taste so delicious?

How Is Red Wine Made?

Most people know that wine is made from grapes, but that is usually the extent of the knowledge. It’s true that wine is made from grapes, but the color of the grapes used doesn’t actually impact the color of the wine. I know, right?

Red wine is made from red grapes, which gives red wine that traditional rich flavor and silky texture. The wine is made by pressing red grape juice and allowing it to ferment with the skins of the red grapes. The skins give red wine its signature color, so the darker the skins, the darker the wine will be.

This process gives the wine flavor and color, but the alcohol forms when yeast is added to the juice. The yeast turns the sugar from the grapes into alcohol, which forms red wine.

Rosé Wine Background

Rosé wine has become extremely popular throughout France and America as it is the perfect wine for all occasions. You can have it with all kinds of dishes, including:

• Fish
• Meat
• Vegetarian
• Vegan dishes

You can have it on a night out, at a party, or even just relaxing in the park. But what exactly is rosé wine?

How Is Rosé Wine Made?

As the juice from grapes is actually clear, how is rosé wine made? The color of the wine actually comes from the skin of the grapes, not the juice itself. But, as pink grapes don’t exist, where does rosé get its color from?

Rosé wine is actually made using the same process as red wine as red grapes are used to create it. However, as the color comes from the skin, the macerating process where the skin is left to soak is shortened so that the wine can become its signature pink color.

The process of making rosé wine involves crushing red grapes and allowing the juice to soak with the skins but not for as long as they do with red wine. Some people believe that rosé is made by mixing red and white wine together, but this is not the case. 

Red Wine Vs Rosé Wine

You may be struggling to choose between rosé vs red wine, especially as they are created during similar processes. However, don’t let this fool you into thinking that they are the same wines.

Here is a guide to show you the differences between red wine and rosé wine in a variety of different aspects.

Rosé vs Red Wine Taste

Rosé vs red wine taste is very different, despite them both being made from the same grapes.

Rosé Wine

Although red wine has very rich and earthy flavors, rosé wine is lighter and has a more refreshing taste. Rosé is often categorized by ‘body’, meaning the heaviness or thickness of the wine when it is in your mouth. The lighter the body, the less alcohol content in the wine.

The Provence region in France produces more rosé than any other wine, and the refreshing flavors of rose petals and strawberries are the perfect summer accompaniment. Other refreshing flavors found in rosé wines include:

• Lemon
• Watermelon
• Hibiscus
• Violets

Red Wine

There are a lot of different types of red wines that all have different tastes to them. Cabernet Sauvignon is a popular wine that is made from grapes from the Napa Valley and Bordeaux. The flavors of Cabernet Sauvignon are rich and deep, with hints of black cherry, cassis, and herbs.

Despite red wines having flavors of raspberries, blackberries, cherries, and plum, they can also have very earthy undertones. Red wine can have hints of cloves and beets in their tastes, resulting in the deep flavors that enhance the richness of the wine.

Rosé vs Red Wine Calories

Wine is known for being high in calories, but does this go for all wines? What wine can you enjoy that is both delicious and diet-friendly? And which wins the rosé vs red wine calories competition?

Rosé Wine

Despite the reputation that wine is extremely high in calories, rosé comes to the rescue to give you a gorgeous wine to enjoy with your friends and let your hair down.

A 3.5 fluid ounce glass of wine contains 83 calories and a bottle of rosé contains 532 calories.

Does it seem too good to be true? Well, it is! This makes rosé a very diet-friendly wine to enjoy on a night out without feeling guilt-free the next day. Say goodbye to flavorless low-calories drinks and bring out the rosé!

Red Wine

If you are looking for a low-calorie wine, red wine is not the best option for you.

A typical 5-ounce glass of red wine comes in at 125 calories, and a bottle has around 635 calories.

It may be delicious, but is it worth the added calories when there are delicious lighter options?

Although red wine is delicious and accompanies a lot of meals, it is very high in calories. If you are looking for a diet-friendly wine, red wine definitely isn’t the lightest option to enjoy with your beautiful meal.

Rosé vs Red Wine Health Impact

Despite wine being an alcoholic drink, is there any way that we can justify more than 1 glass when we crack open a bottle?

Rosé Wine

As rosé wine is low in calories, it is a good option for wine lovers if you are looking to lead a healthier lifestyle without compromising on taste or quality. If you are suffering from poor cholesterol, rosé can help bring it down as it is high in polyphenols.

Consuming rosé can also reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems and increase your heart health. Rosé is also full of anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce the risk of conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Red Wine

Although red wine is high in calories, it does contain some health benefits. Red wine is high in resveratrol, which can:

• Lower cholesterol
• Reduce the risk of blood clots
• Protect the blood vessels from experiencing damage

Red wine has also been shown to improve your gut health and also to help control type 2 diabetes as it can help to metabolize glucose.

Rosé vs Red Wine Hangover

We all love a drink (or two!), but the idea of a hangover can put us off having fun. What if there was a way to have a drink that reduces the risk of a hangover? Is the rosé vs red wine hangover better on one side or the other?

Rosé Wine

The hangover that you will get with wine is determined by the number of congeners in the wine. Congeners are created during the fermentation process and can worsen hangovers due to them increasing inflammation in the body.

Lighter-colored drinks naturally have fewer congeners in them, meaning that they will cause less of a hangover. Rosé wine is a light pink color that has fewer congeners meaning that it will give you less of a hangover than dark-colored drinks. Grab the rosé, you can hit the clubs!

Red Wine

As we are now aware that the number of congeners can be determined by the color of the drink, red wine has a high level of congeners. Due to it being very dark in color, it has a high level of congeners, meaning that there is a higher risk of a hangover after consuming it.

As well as a high level of congeners, red wine also has high levels of histamine. Histamine dilates blood vessels and high levels of histamine cause headaches due to the blood vessels surrounding the brain dilating and causing pressure.

Pour Yourself a Glass!

So who wins the rosé vs red wine competition? Both rosé wine and red wine are great options to choose from if you are looking for a versatile wine that comes in many different varieties. Despite red wine being a great choice for meals, sauces, and casually sipping on, rosé wine is a popular choice that you will most definitely be missing out on if you don’t try it!

Although red wine is a classic wine, rosé is very low in calories, light, refreshing, causes less of a hangover, has many health benefits, and is incredibly delicious! If you needed an excuse to take that wine tasting course or to go out and grab a bottle, there’s a whole list of great reasons above!