Aaron Winsor
Hello Prince Albert! What was your beverage or wine of choice for New Year’s Eve 2024? The obvious choices are sparkling wine/Champagne, whiskey, rum, eggnog, or beer but many people choose to forego alcohol completely, preferring a quiet, peaceful end to the year. Whichever path you chose to take, I hope you had a safe and pleasant night and hopefully you made it later than I did and didn’t fall asleep by 10 pm (if you did fall asleep early, I won’t judge). We only ended up tasting one wine on New Year’s: the Brilla! Prosecco Rose but the wife and I managed to try another rose this week which happens to be on sale. Let’s take a look at an often-neglected category, rose!
While many people think of rose wines as blends or mixtures of red and white wines (like blush in California), rose wine is made from red grapes with a small amount of white grape juice added for flavor, texture or balance. Red grapes are necessary for their pigmentation (color) which lends a variety of hues and colors to rose wine. The more aggressive the pressing or maceration, the deeper and richer the color the subsequent wine becomes, however, too much pressing can easily create harsh tannins or ruin the delicate balance of this light style of wine.
The juice for these wines is usually pressed as gently as possible which results in “free-run” juice. This juice is relatively free from the effects of pressed grape skins, meaning less tannins, less bitterness and less color in the juice. Some color can be introduced or elevated during maceration (the time the juice and skins sit in the fermentation tank) by adding the red grape skins back into the tank or using a red grape with less intensity but more pigmentation. A good example of this practice is employed in the Amoureuse rose which uses Cinsault and Grenache for the red grapes. I this case, I hypothesize that the Grenache grapes were mainly used for the juice while Cinsault was added primarily for its lighter color, resulting in a wine which moves away from the bright pink colors and crosses into the “orange” category of colors.
You’ll find the Amoureuse 2020 rose on sale right now and after taxes, a bottle will run about $18. It is recommended that this wine be drank within 3-4 years after the vintage date, but the wine is still drinking great now and it is a wonderful deal for the quality level.
Most times, when I search for a rose to try, I end up in the France, Italy and Portugal wine sections. There is something so clean and crisp about these European wines that hit the sweet spot for me and that’s why when I saw the Brilla! Prosecco rose, I had to try it! While Prosecco is fruity and tasty, it is often considered one of the simplest sparkling wine styles in the classic wines of the world due to its single-tank fermentation (unlike Champagne which benefits from the complexities of a second fermentation). With this in mind, I didn’t expect anything complex or mind-blowing when picking up a bottle.
The pro’s of the Brilla!: intense frothy action (technically this is considered a negative, but I like it), bitter mineral/citrus note, and a creamy mouthfeel after each sip. The Brilla! is highly suitable for appetizers and snacks. The con’s: the bitter note can overwhelm or take over the wine at times, the flavor profile is very simple and the price is getting a bit too high for the quality level. Many Prosecco wines used to be under $20, and at $27 after taxes, this wine doesn’t deliver the experience I wanted. Here are my wine picks of the week!
Brilla! Prosecco Rose 2023: (DOC Prosecco, Italy). Dry sparkling wine, pale pink color with small, fine strands of bubbles. The medium-intense nose is fruity and candy-like with raspberry/strawberry candy, fresh flower shop (flowers, leaves, stems), rose petals, lemon and rocky mineral. Surprisingly, on the palate, the flavors intensify with very active bubbles and a lingering, creamy mousse followed by floral notes, chalky mineral, lemon peels, red fruits (raspberry and strawberry) with a light, delicate body. The refreshing bubbles are quite frothy and active but quickly dissipate in the mouth, leaving a creamy, waxy texture. Carbonation is medium-plus with medium-plus acidity, contributing a lively, sharp character to balance out the creaminess. The palate is left on notes of bitter citrus peels and slightly saline mineral rocks mixed with hints of floral flavors. While the wine is not complex and doesn’t pair as well with intense foods, serve some genoa or soppressata salami, since the earthier, fatty textures and flavors will compliment and enhance the character of this Prosecco. Good! $27, 11% ABV
Amoureuse Rose 2020 by Chateau Grand Escalion: (Costieres-de-Nimes, France). Dry to off-dry rose, pale orange (salmon) color. This affordable French rose has a lovely bouquet of lemon/citrus, rose/flower petals, fresh pear, orange/lemon peel, candied fruit and the scents of spring-time meadows. Even though this rose tastes very dry at first, the fruity flavor profile comes forward with a bit of time and showcases a gentle, soft blend of citrus fruit (grapefruit, lemon) as well as hints of oranges and apples. This light-bodied rose is clean and straightforward, but some zesty/tangy flavor builds as the medium acidity provides a focused tingling sensation on the tastebuds. The acidity comes in after the fruity mid-palate and into the long finish which displays the beautiful balance of a well-made rose. As the fruit and acidity settle, the long finish recaps the experience with soapy mineral, flowers, citrus peel, fruit candies and a tasty savory note. I was very impressed by this rose, it has great balance, a fantastic price point and a fruity, tangy, yet elegant style. I would buy it again. Very good! $18, 13.5% ABV
Cheers and thanks for reading!