Rose' Wine (In My Pimp Cup?)

We were only a few sips into wine class last night, sampling a lovely Rose' garnacha from Spain when Alison says to the instructor, "okay, this is a weird question, but I have to ask.  Why is it that we hear hip hop artists rapping about rose' all the time nowadays?  Is it really expensive or something?"  She asked in her sweet Alison sort of way, and the instructor was pretty amused.  So...the running joke for the remainder of the evening, obviously, was centered around hip hop and rose'.  Needless to say, it was a great class.

It got me thinking...I wonder what the connection is?  I mean, we all know that Cristal is a common drink among rap artists, but rose'?  So, I started doing a little research, and here's what I found:
From Wikipedia: 
"In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the brand became increasingly associated with rap and hip-hop culture, with several artists referencing the drink in song lyrics and as part of their public image.  In an interview with The Economist in 2006, Louis Roederer managing director Frederic Rouzaud said he viewed the attention from rappers with “curiosity and serenity”. Asked if he thought the association would harm the brand, he replied, "that's a good question, but what can we do? We can't forbid people from buying it. I'm sure Dom Pérignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business."  Subsequent interpretations and reactions to these statements resulted in the brand's loss of position in hip-hop culture." 
There's a rose' Cristal, with 1974 vintage...maybe that could have something to do with all the mentions.  I'm sure it would pair quite nicely with a '76 Impala. 

This really peaked my curiosity, so I kept looking. 
There's the song You Know You Know by Drake, that rattles off: "am I the only 23 year old wine connoisseur? The Rothchild's, the Cru's, the 'Caias and the Opuses?"  Okay...not specifically rose', but he's on the right track.
Then, the Lil Wayne song Wasted: "Panetela Dutchy wine in my tall glass, Young Money baby, big sh-t like a horse ass."  Mmm hmmm.

During my searches, I found a lot more about Cristal and Alize (of course), but not too much more about rose' wine, specifically.

And, then...

I found...

wait for it...

This:
RAPWINE !!!!!

And, it distracted me so much I could no longer continue the previous search. 

RAP stands for Rose' Avengers and Producers (duh!).  Here's a short description from their website:
"Welcome to RAP—The Rosé Avengers and Producers. We’re an international group of winemakers and wine drinkers dedicated to righting the wrongs done to dry rosé. The good news is that dry rosé is currently experiencing a New World renaissance. Maybe that’s because most dry rosés pair well with everything from seafood to steaks, spicy flavors, salads and even barbecues. So please join RAP and raise the bar—as well as a glass—for dry pink wine!"

Sure, maybe rose' is experiencing a "New World renaissance" because it's so easy to drink and pairs with just about everything...or maybe...just maybe...it's the Cristal of  the '10s.  (Why would you call your group RAPwine if you didn't see at least some connection...)

Raise your pimp cup!