The Noble Art of Sabrage and a hockey skate?

Dear Wine Ladies, Sabering a bottle of sparkling wine with a hockey skate; how perfect for the winter Olympics this month! I enjoyed seeing that on your show last week with Daniel Speck. My question is about the Cuvee Catherine sparkling rose, or roses in general. How and when is the red wine added to the sparkling wine to give it the colour? Barbara Barrie, Ontario Dear Barbara, When making a sparkling rose, the colour is achieved in one of two ways; most often, it is made by adding a small proportion of red wine to the white or, much less frequently by allowing the skins of the dark grapes to stay in contact with the juice for a brief time. If the rose is made this way it is called “rose de saignee” which means to bleed, in French, the colour of the dark grapes “bleeds” into the juice. In the case of Henry of Pelham’s Cuvee Catherine, grape skin contact with the juice is avoided. Mr. Speck explained “ we only want the best juice from the middle of the berry, we whole cluster press and press fraction from there. Ninety-nine percent of all sparkling rose wines are made by adding an oz. of red wine to the cuvee.” Cuvee Catherine is a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, two of the three grape varieties legally permitted to produce Champagne. (pinot meunier is the third). A greater percentage of Pinot Noir is used giving the wine a roundness, it has good fruit and leans more to the fresher side than the toastier. Rose de saignee sparkling wines, usually with a deeper hue, tend to be richer in red fruit flavours such as raspberries and cherries; they also tend to pair well with foods such as pigeon, duck or lamb To watch Daniel Speck try to open the Cuvee Catherine with a hockey skate check out www.thatchannel.com/thewineladies The Wine Ladies TV Wednesdays 2:30-3:30pm (live on ThatChannel.com): Sisters, business partners, national newspaper columnists, TV personalities and radio hosts, these ladies share their passion for wine, food and living to the fullest and without hesitation. Their motto, “everything in life somehow comes back to the vine,” keeps audiences entertained and informed. Join the ladies every Sunday morning at 8:30am on The Jewel Network ( Jewel 88.5 FM in Toronto, Jewel 98.5 FM in Ottawa, Jewel 107.7 FM in Hawkesbury) as they host special guests from all walks of life on their weekly wine and lifestyle radio show. Watch The Wine Ladies on their web TV episodes “ One Sip At A Time” as they conduct two-on-one interviews featuring leading chefs, winemakers, business entrepreneurs, financial gurus, sports stars and innovators in the entertainment, literary and fine arts communities. Georgia and Susanne have a talent for discussion that’s always fun and enthusiastic . The Wine Ladies philosophy is that “Wine is part of living well, with joy, with good friends and good food, from a simple table wine to a Grand Cru”. To watch and subscribe to the podcasts http://www.thatchannel.com/thewineladies