Article by Alessandra Dal Monte, from Le Venezie, issue no.57
Rosa dei Masi: innovation and elegance to satisfy new trends
It’s no longer just drunk in summer. And it’s no longer an unloved cousin of red wine. Rosé wine, rosé or better still 'pink wine' - as it is on the cover of the recently published book Il vino è rosa (Wine is pink), written by philosopher and winemaker Luigi Cataldi Madonna together with his daughter Giulia - is experiencing a renaissance. The numbers prove it: rosés are growing in international consumption along with sparkling wines, while reds (especially the full-bodied ones) are in decline. Rosé is popular because of its charm, limited alcohol content and versatility of use, with or without food. It can be drunk as an aperitif, or for lunch, dinner, and even after dinner. It is the convivial choice par excellence. And thanks to the allure that surrounds it, especially when the packaging is so appealing - think of the perfume-like bottles used for the famous Provençal rosé Miraval - it has become part of lifestyle living, and a status symbol.
This is why Masi, a wine producer with strong roots in Valpolicella but at the same time an international company, decided to invest time and resources in creating a rosé that could compete on a global level with products from the best known regions, like Provence. It took three years of study and the efforts of the entire Technical Group - the think-tank with representation from various functions in the company - to assemble the vision, but we are there now: Rosa dei Masi 2023 will be launched at Vinitaly and is ready to take off as a brand in its own right.
"It all started in 2020, just before Covid," explains Raffaele Boscaini, marketing director at Masi. “Our sales area had come up with the need for attractive packaging for Rosa dei Masi. Then, when the pandemic put a pause on everything, we thought more about the rosé phenomenon and realised that we needed to think more broadly, because rosé was becoming a real category, with higher quality and greater longevity. It was no longer just a seasonal wine, and hardly even a wine anymore, but rather a drink connected to a way of being, a lifestyle. It is part of the duty of a company like ours to innovate and develop new products, even relaxing concepts usually fundamental to winemakers such as terroir to focus on quality, and the sensory experience and lifestyle that the wine represents.”
Today, wineries are increasingly called upon to create real brands, tailor-made wines that can be adapted to various market needs. It is no longer the customer who finds the wine, but the wine that finds the customer. You have to identify, find and retain your consumer through products that are both intriguing and satisfying. The new Rosa dei Masi is one of these, the result of complex work by the Technical Group, chaired by Raffaele Boscaini and comprising, among others, director of oenology Andrea Dal Cin, CEO Federico Girotto, sales director Pier Giuseppe Torresani and product marketing manager Dario Patuzzo.
After years of tastings, competitor product and packaging analysis, scrutinising market data and micro-vinifications, the profile of Rosa dei Masi 2023 has been decided. "We vinified Merlot grapes from a vineyard in the upper Valpolicella," explains Raffaele Boscaini, "where high diurnal temperature variations produce exceptional aromas and good supporting acidity. We chose soft pressing, at low temperatures and with the addition of dry ice, so as not to extract too much colour from the skins. The result is a rosé with delicate hue, somewhere between onion skin and salmon, a nose that is fruity and floral but not cloying, and an attractiveness on the palate that concludes with a clean finish. It is a good wine even when served not completely chilled. The packaging is minimalist, with a small label and transparent bottle glass so that the contents can be clearly appreciated. And it has a certain elegance at the same time: our characteristic oval shape label is enriched with a profusion of delicate sketches of rose petals, to complete the message of lightness and delicacy."
Bottoms up, then: to the new life of rosé wine.
