ROSÉ RO$Y IN FRANCE

APPARENTLY, even the French are rethinking pink.  Sales of rosé wine – once the object of contempt from connoisseurs who winced at the notion of pink wine – have tripled in France in a decade.  Nine out of 1O French wine drinkers now enjoy the occasional glass of rosé, according to a recent survey.  Last year, for the first time, nearly a third of wine made in France was rosé.  While more than half was red, white wines made up only about 17% of the total.  Experts say younger people have become more open-minded about wine, while the quality has also improved, thanks to new wine-making methods and technology.  “It’s not that rosé is succeeding as never before, it’s society that’s changing,” said Olivier Nasles, a winemaker in Provence, the traditional home of rosé.  “People under 5O want instant pleasure.  To appreciate it, you don’t need to know a whole lot about appellations or which years are best.  It’s much more accessible.”  Francois Millo, the head of the Provence Wine Council, said: “Technical developments have been considerable.  That makes it possible to obtain notes of citrus, tropical fruit and berries.”  More French vineyards are switching from red to rosé – enticed by the growing market and the quick returns the product offers.  Unlike red wines, most rosé varieties are better drunk fresh and young.  Costly storage in oak barrels is not necessary.  Even the conservative viticulteurs of Bordeaux, a red wine stronghold, are getting serious about rosé.  Traditionally no more than a by-product, made with pink juices removed from freshly pressed grapes used to make red, output in Bordeaux has risen by 15%.