Rosé

We had our doubts in starting out on our rosé “tour”. We had a rocky start after trying a few Oregon rosés. We have to reluctantly say that we were not impressed and in one case, actually felt ripped off. We had just spent a wad of cash on over a dozen rosés and were beginning to have a sinking feeling that we weren’t going to like any of them.

So we were delightfully surprised when, from a sampling of 20 or so rosés from around the world, we really enjoyed almost all of them! A few were ordinary or unimpressive, a few were definitely “food only” wines, but all had their charms. More, we were treated to a vacation from familiar whites and heavy reds. From rosés of Sangiovese to Malbec to blends, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip to “pink”.

The more we have tasted of these dry yet fruity gems of the wine world the more we wonder why the hell everyone isn’t drinking them. And what’s more, why the hell weren’t we drinking them! What a waste of years I could have been enjoying rosé. Well, as they say, “better late than never”. So here is a wrap up with 5 more reasons you should get into rosé this summer.

1. Vina Sastre Ribera del Duero Rosado
2009 – Spain

Pure dark pink. Scents of berry and citrus with a hint of minerality. Bright grapefruit burst in the mouth with a dry, but smooth finish showcasing the minerality. A bit shy in showing off her fruit, this was still a very enjoyable and prettily made wine. We paid $11.29.

Overall – 7.5
Value – 7.75
Challenge – A

2. Crios de Susana Balbo Rosé of Malbec
2010 – Argentina

Our #1 favorite rosé of the whole lot, we loved everything about this wine from the deep pink tinged with violet color to the long flavorful finish. Intense berries on the nose followed by berries, cherries and spice on the palate. This is a perfectly balanced wine with plenty of crisp acidity to showcase the fruit and leave you refreshed and wanting more. Not just a good rosé, this is a great wine of any kind. We paid $11.29.

Overall  – 9
Value – 8.5
Challenge – A

 

3. Bieler Pere et Fils Rosé
2010 – France

We found the Bieler Pere et Fils Rosé a simple delight. Sparkling clear – palest apricot pink  shading to white. Delicate aromas of flowers and fruit flow into flavors of the same with faint overtones of grassy herbs. Uncomplicated, lively, easily quaffable. This is the style of rosé perfect for a warm Summer’s day. While not as outstandingly fruity as some others we’ve tried, we found this one extremely likable and refreshing.

We paid $11.49.

Overall – 8
Value – 8
Challenge rating – A

(See more about our rating system.)

4. Robert Oatley Rosé of Sangiovese
2010 – Australia

This rosé was quite crisp and dry with juicy citrus flavors along with a nice fruity/strawberry nose.  This was more of a food wine for us, a bit too dry to just sip, so we looked at each other and said, “Greek Pizza!”. It would actually go well with a lot of summer foods. We paid  $13.49.

Overall 7.5
Value 7.25
Challenge – C

5. Mulderbosch Rosé of Cabernet
2010 – South Africa

We found this classic salmon colored rosé a bit more herbal than the rest with an initial burst of strawberry aroma followed by thyme and a hint of tarragon. Red fruit and thyme followed on the palate. This wine would be perfect with lamb, and in fact would go well with almost any food.  A steal at $9.29.

Overall – 8
value – 8
challenge – C

So after our wine tour what did we learn? Well, that what we really loved about rosés was their ability to show off varietal aromas and flavors without being overly tannic or heavy – making them a perfect wine for warmer weather. In addition we were impressed with their amazing flexibility as both a “lighter” wine you could sit and sip, and a terrific food wine that would pair well with so many dishes.

And so, after a poor start, our happy ever after was that we found a handful of wonderful Oregon rosés – more on those later – and look forward to finding more. If you are not “into” rosé yet, we recommend you give ‘em a try. We’re sure glad we did!

All the wines above we purchased at Wine.com. You can too. (The picture of the man with the wine bottle below is an affiliate link to wine.com and if you click and buy from them the winecatz will get a commission!)

Do you have a favorite rosé?

This was the only sparkler in our Rosé exploration.

Pale copper pink with tiny bubbles. The rich yeasty top note of fresh baked bread was followed by strawberries and toast. With a perfect balance between the warm notes and the fruit this little charmer had soft creamy mouth-feel with lingering berries and a soft dry finish. Incredibly lush.

At the very reasonable price of $18.99, this is about the best price value for a sparkling wine I’ve come across so far. Perfect for anytime you feel like celebrating, or just because you are glad to be alive.

Overall rating -9

Value rating – 7.5

Challenge rating – A

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I broke the rosé tasting chain and took this to a barbeque at a some friends. The wine was a hit – great to sip before dinner and delicious as well with the spiced chicken kebabs and grilled veggies. Unfortunately, I was having so much fun I forget to take notes. All I can say is, it was really good and I’d buy it again in a heartbeat.

A more detailed review will have to wait for the next bottle.

We paid 12.99 online at K & L Wines

The first of our two Spanish Rosés. As delighted as we were by the fine showing of the French Rosés, we were excited to move on to Spain.

The Bodegas Muga Rosado Rioja was not what we were expecting, but neither was it a disappointment. Very pale pink with the lightest touch of copper it is a very pretty color. The nose was quite light with a delicate fruit essence that, while nice, defied exact comparisons. We both were afraid our noses just weren’t up to snuff that day (pun unintended, but I’ll take ‘em as I find ‘em). I tried again later but found the same thing.

A little research found these notes from the winemaker… “The impression is comparable with the impact on our sense of smell when we enter a fruit market: you can smell everything, it is all pleasant on the nose, but there is not just a single, clearly recognisable aroma.”

Phew, it’s not just us then.

Overall the wine was very nice, if unremarkable. Good acid along with the delicate fruitiness. Lovely, light and refreshing, we enjoyed every sip and look forward to our next bottle.

We paid $11.99 online, at K & L Wines.

Overall rating -  7

Value rating – 7.5

Challenge rating – A  (Our “E” tasters found the drynesss a little challenging.)

See more about our rating system.

2009 Rol Valentin Rosé,  Bordeaux.

Number two in our 5 continent rosé tasting. The day we tasted this was all about France! We tried four french rosés.

This rosé was the darkest of the three with and lovely deep pink rose color.

Impressively round, lush and soft, full of flowers and fruit and yet crisp and dry. A  seeming contradiction and yet it manages to be both, deliciously.

First impression was the aroma of strawberries. Then lilacs. Wow.
We tasted cherry pie and plums overlaid by the same lilac from the nose.
Incredibly long finish

We paid $6.99 at K and L wines online.

Taste rating – 8 out of 10

Value rating – 8.5 out of 10

Challenge rating – A – Average

See more about our rating system and what each means on our About our Ratings page.

 

 

 

Ahem, now that I have your attention…

Barber Cellars “Kitten with a Whip” Rosé of Syrah (Dry Creek) was the first rosé on our “5 continent rosé tasting tour” (which sounds a lot more impressive than it actually is). As summer began we heard more and more about how rosé was a wonderful but under appreciated summer beverage. As you would know, if you had read Craig’s rant about the dearth of rosés in our neck of the woods, we can’t just go to the market and buy a good rosé. So we have little experience with them, and a lot of curiosity. Hence, the birth of the great wine tasting tour. We went to a couple of online wine stores and found over a dozen rosés we wanted to try.

First up was the Kitten. From North America (California) 85% Syrah, 15% Zinfandel – and she lived up to the name. The kitten was a medium orangish salmon color, very pretty. The aromas where intriguing with strawberry, apricot and tangerine peel. The taste was of juicy melon and tangerine shading into a very dry, peppery finish, lingering as if reluctant to go.

My only beef was the peppery finish. I like pepper in its place but am not a  huge pepper fan in wine or in food (though I feel quite alone in this) and the dryness accentuated it. I found that I eventually didn’t want any more when just sipping. This wine shines however with food!

$9.99 at K&L Wines

Taste rating – 7 out of 10

Value rating – 7.5 out of 10

Challenge rating – C – Challenging (based on the bone dryness and peppery finish)

See more about our rating system and what each means on our About our Ratings page.