AbstractPrefermentative maceration for 8 h at 5, 10 and 15 °C was used to make rosé wines, and changes in their colour (colour intensity (CI), tone and CIELAB parameters), phenolic compounds (classic indices and individual compounds) and volatile compounds (major and minor) were monitored from the must stage to wines until 6 months after bottling. The 15 °C maceration temperature provided wines with the highest CI, a* and C* values, the greatest malvidin‐3‐glucoside content and the lowest alcohol and ethyl acetate levels. Only in these wines were terpenols released after 6 months in the bottle. The wines produced at 5 °C had the highest ester levels, which also remained more stable during storage. When using maceration temperature as the differentiating variable in a discriminant analysis, volatile compounds were important contributors. However, colour and phenolic compound parameters were important when sampling time was used as the differentiating variable. The best scoring wines in an informal sensory evaluation test were those subjected to 15 °C maceration, while the least appreciated were those macerated at 5 °C. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry