Champagne is the only French appellation allowed to make its rosé by blending a splash of finished red wine into white base wine before the second fermentation. Everywhere else in the country, and almost everywhere in the EU, rosé sparkling wine has to get its colour from skin contact instead.
Assemblage: blending in colour
Most rosé Champagne today is made by assemblage: adding roughly 5 to 20 percent still red wine, usually Pinot Noir from villages such as Bouzy or Ambonnay, into the white cuvée before it goes through its second fermentation. It gives producers precise, repeatable control over colour and lets them shape body and red-fruit character deliberately, which is why big houses favour it for consistency across vintages.
Saignée: colour from the skins
The rarer saignée method lets black grape juice sit on its skins for anywhere from a few hours to two days, then bleeds off the lightly tinted juice before fermentation, no red wine added at all. It tends to produce a more intense, savoury style with real tannic grip, the method behind Laurent-Perrier's Cuvée Rosé and a handful of grower wines.
FAQ
Is rosé Champagne sweeter than white Champagne?
No, colour and sweetness are unrelated. Dosage is set independently, and most rosé Champagne, including Dom Pérignon Rosé, is bone dry Brut.
Which method is better, assemblage or saignée?
Neither; they aim at different things. Assemblage gives control and consistency, saignée gives intensity and a more structured, wine-like character.
Does rosé Champagne age well?
The good ones do, often better than people expect, since the added red wine or skin tannin gives it a little extra structure to age against compared with a standard Brut.