Tag: Rosé

Rosé Splash 2022

In the past few years there have been a couple of wine events that featured rosé wines and a boat ride around Manhattan. Those events were La Nuit en Rosé and Rosé Splash.

The La Nuit en Rosé event had a day for the consumer with an afternoon and an evening sail. They also set aside one afternoon with a sailing for members of the hospitality industry while the Rosé Splash event did not. Because they held a tasting for members of the trade, I feel that the La Nuit event poured a better selection of worldwide rosés than the Splash event.

What they shared in common was a boat with three decks of rosé, food, a DJ, a dancefloor and a sail around New York harbor cruising by local icons such as the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Unfortunately, The La Nuit event ran into some “issues” and was forced into bankruptcy last year and did not have an event this year. Fortunately, on August 6th after a two-year Covid hiatus the Rosé Splash set sail on the Spirit of New York from Pier 61 on the West side of Manhattan.

While it didn’t have the same quality of wines as the La Nuit en Rosé boat ride, with three decks of rosé wine to sample and a nice sunny Summer afternoon to be on the water, it was a nice day.

Some of the Rosé I sampled:

2020 Chateau de Berne Romance2020 Chateau de Berne Inspiration
2021 Dauo Family Estate Rose2021 Ame du Vin Provence Rose
NV 90+ Cellars Prosecco RoseNV Bridge Lane Rose In A Can
2020 The Vice Rose of Pinot Noir2020 Croteaux Vineyards Jolie
2021 D’Agostino Rose2021 Albert Bichot Cest la Vie Syrah-Granache
2020 Maiden + Liberty Rosalies2020 Borghese Vineyards Rose of Merlot
2021 Lange Twins Rose of Anglianico

June Tasting Out East

 

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At the end of June I took another drive out East to the wineries on the North Fork. Seems like this is the only game in town for social drinking. Sampled a diverse range of varietals this time around. Still not a bad way to spend a sunny afternoon.

 

 

Lieb Cellars 13050 Oregon Rd, Cutchogue

Off the main road, Lieb Cellars is run “by a close knit group of young passionate individuals”.

2018 Sauvignon Blanc: Light yellow with a greenish tint, closed nose of green apples, clean and crisp with green apple notes.

 

Bedell Cellars 36225 Main Road, Cutchogue

The Bedell’s planted their first grapevines here in 1980

2019 Pinot Gris: This is the first vintage of this varietal produced at the winery. Clear light yellow with greenish tints, kiwi, tangerine on the nose, juice lemon/line notes on the fruit with crisp acidity.

 

Croteaux Vineyards 1450 S Harbor Road, Southold

This winery off the main road produces exclusively estate grown Rosé against the backdrop of two historic farms. 

2019 Rosé Merlot “181”: Stainless steel fermented, light copper in color, cantaloupe on the nose, minerally fruit with nice acidity. 

 

Pulgliese Vineyards 34515 Main Rd, Cutchogue

Established in 1980 and is family owned and operated, they make down to earth wines. The only winery that I know of on the North Fork that bottles a Sangiovese.

2015 Sangiovese: Clear light red in color, red cherry and green herbs on the nose, red cherry with a touch of leather on the fruit with good acidity. 

 

 

2019 Gerard Bertrand Cote des Roses, Languedoc

 

 

Summer is here, more rosé.

Gerard Bertrand is a French wine grower with a vast portfolio of wines from the South of France.

They make several different rosé. This one is from the Languedoc region and is packaged in a pretty bottle with an etched rose on the bottom.

The wine is a blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault. 

 

2019 Cotes des Roses: Light pink in color, ripe cantaloupe on the nose, nice mouthfeel of light cherry and raspberry, nice balance. 

 

 

2018 Josh Cellars Rosé California

 

 

Now that the warmer weather is upon us, it’s rosé time. I like a glass of rosé on a warm day. To me they are the casual wear of the wine world, nothing serious to make a fuss about and as long as it’s not sweet, I’ll drink it.

Josh Cellars was founded in 2007 by Joseph Carr and named as a tribute to his Dad, Josh. They produce wines sourced from across the California winegrowing regions.

 

2018 Josh Cellars Rosé California:  Clear copper in color, nose of watermelon and sweet strawberry, dry with light cherry notes and some earthiness on the finish, easy drinking. 

 

 

 

Rosé Splash

 

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Rosé Splash was a rosé wine themed boat ride that was held aboard the Spirit of New York on the afternoon of September 3rd. It’s not to be confused with the other rosé boat ride, the La Nuit en Rosé boat ride from last May.

The boat shoved off from Pier 61 at Chelsea Piers at West 21st Street in Manhattan for a leisurely three hour cruise along the Hudson river and lower Manhattan.

The Spirit of New York which is normally used as a dinner cruise venue, is a fairly large boat and today had three floors of tasting tables and a buffet, They poured an international selection of wines including New York State wines in addition to spirits such as Ketal One vodka, Taconic Distillery whiskey and Goslings rum to name a few.

It was a beautiful afternoon to be on the water and the crowd enjoyed themselves. I didn’t think that the quality of the wines today were as good as the wines poured at the La Nuit en Rosé boat event, but with three floors of wine and spirits, there was plenty to keep everyone occupied for the afternoon. Plus, they had really good bread at the buffet table.

 

 

More Summer Rosé Long Island

 

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Rosé season is kicking in to high gear now and there is plenty of pink wine coming out of the east end long island wineries to keep the thirsty satisfied.

Most of the wineries do a pretty good job of making a drinkable version.

One afternoon I drove out for another tasting.

 

 

Shinn Estate Vineyards  2000 Oregon Road, Mattituck

Winery using biodynamic wine practices, featuring a wine library with a barrel room view. They also have a B & B on property.

2018 Rosé

100% Merlot. Medium cherry red, crushed red cherry on the nose, red cherry and some funk on the medium body with moderate acids.

 

Lieb  Cellars  13050 Oregon Road, Cuthchogue

The rustic tasting room is in a quiet spot off the main road. Established in 1992, they make estate grown “small production reserve wines”. They also own a local custom crush winemaking facility.

2018 Bridge Lane Rosé

Mostly Cabernet Franc. Medium copper in color, fresh honeydew on the nose, clean melon notes on the fruit, moderate to low acids, very drinkable.

 

Paumanok Vineyards  1074 Main Road, Aquebogue

The first winery you run into on the main road wine trail. Established in 1983 and the first winery to grow a Chenin Blanc.

2018 Dry Rosé

A blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Orange-copper in color, dried herbs and funky melon on the nose with some of those funky notes coming through on the fruit, nice balance of acids.

 

 

Rosé Long Island

 

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With the warmer weather approaching that means that rosé season is upon us. It’s not surprising that on an island with miles of beaches and beach towns that drinking rosé wine would be very popular, in fact in the Hampton’s this year they are talking about a rosé shortage.

Every east end winery bottles a rosé which usually sells out quickly. While you won’t be drinking any of the grape varietals used to make rosé in the south of France such as Mouvedre, Cinsault or Grenache, they make do with Merlot, Syrah, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.

One recent Saturday afternoon I drove out East to try a few.

 

One Women Winery 5195 Old North Road, Southold

Small production winery, a real mom & pop operation with excellent wines. Small, cozy tasting shack with knowledgeable staff, not much space inside but there are tables surrounding the tasting room.

2018 Rosé

A blend of Merlot and Pinot Noir, recently bottled.  Light copper in color, watermelon on the nose with light melon notes on the fruit, nice balance with refreshing acidity at the finish.

 

Corey Creek Tap Room  36225 Main Road, Cutchogue

Owned by Bedell Cellars, as the name suggests they serve only small batch wines on tap, “fresh from our cellar”. The tasting room has a nautical décor with an outdoor seating area overlooking the vineyard.

2018 Rosé Syrah

Light pink in color with sweet melon on the nose and fresh peach notes on the fruit with some residual sugar coming through at the finish.

 

McCall Wines  22600 Main Road, Cutchogue

McCall is not only a vineyard but a cattle ranch as well. They raise grass-fed Charolais cattle, a heritage European breed, on the adjacent ranch and is one of the few vineyards that bottle a pinot noir. The rustic tasting room is a former potato curing barn. There’s always one of the owners on hand overseeing the tasting room and pouring.

2018 Marjorie’s Rosé

A blend of Syrah and Merlot, light copper in color, sweet kiwi on the nose, funky melon on the full fruit with crisp acidity on the finish.

 

 

Rosé On A Boat, La Nuit en Rosé 2019

 

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La Nuit en Rosé was the “world’s first festival dedicated exclusively to summers favorite drink, rosé wine”. What began in New York City in 2014 has expanded to Los Angeles, Miami and the Hamptons.

In New York this year the festival took place on May 10-11 with an afternoon and an evening session both days. The event was held on the Hornblower yacht which is docked at Pier 40 on the Hudson River just west of Houston Street in lower Manhattan.

The yacht had three floors of rosé wines that included a VIP room on the top floor which served exclusive wines and food. The rest of the boat had plenty of rosé from around the world to keep everyone busy. Nibbles included cheeses from President cheese company, lobster rolls and oysters from the Lobster Joint and risotto from Risoteria Melotti. A DJ provided the music.

In the warmer months I enjoy a nice glass of rosé. I like to think of these wines as the sweatpants of the wine world; easy going with nothing to make a fuss about. I attended the Saturday afternoon session as I usually do and in the past the weather has not been optimal for what I would like for a day cruising the Hudson River but this afternoon was a beautiful Spring day and perfect for a cruise around lower Manhattan while sipping on a glass of rosé on deck. This is a popular event and the stylishly dressed crowd (mostly women as it turned out) enjoyed the cruise and the wines.

 

Some of the wines I sampled:

NV Gloria Ferrer Brut Rosé (California)

NV Segura Viudas Brut (Spain)

2108 Gerard Bertrand JOA (France)

2018 Gerard Bertrand Gris Blanc (France)

2018 Chateau Robine La Rosé (France)

2018 Chateau Auguste (France)

2018 Chateau Berne Romance (France)

2017 Ultimate (France)

2018 Listel Grain de Gris (France)

2018 Le Roi des Pierres Sancerre (France)

2018 Barton & Guestier Reserve (France)

2018 Barton & Guestier Tourmaline (France)

2018 Mouton Cadet (France)

2018 Lu ientu (Italy)

2018 Grecia Salento (Italy)

2018 JNSQ Rosé Cru (California)

2018 Bonterra (California)

2018 Day Owl (California)

2018 Rodney Strong Rosé of Pinot Noir (California)

2018 Erath (Oregon)

 

 

More Rosé On Long Island

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We’re now at the dog days of Summer which in New York City usually means hot sweltering days and muggy nights reminding me of some the lyrics from the 1966 Loving Spoonful song “Summer in the City” about the back of me head getting dirty and gritty.

But not this Summer. It has been unusually mild and comfortable with Spring like temperatures and low humidity. It still is rosé season though and I drove out East to try some more.

 

Winemaker Studio  2885 Peconic Lane, Peconic

The Studio is a 100 year old general store owned by winemaker Anthony Nappa as a cooperative tasting room to showcase and taste his wines as well as the wines of Vineyards that don’t have their own tasting rooms. Since I was there last the deli next door was converted into another tasting room.

2016 Saltbird “Roseate”

This is the first wine I’ve tried from this producer. Made from a Syrah and Cabernet Franc blend, medium pink, crushed strawberry on the nose, light fruit, low acid, a little neutral but easy drinking.

 

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Kontokosta Winery  825 North Road, Greenport

This winery is a fairly new one on the east end wine scene with the North Fork’s “first and only waterfront winery and tasting room”. About as far East as you can get on the north fork of the island near the town of Greenport. It’s a huge if a little sterile, property with views of the Long Island sound.

2016 Rosé

A blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Light copper in color, honeydew on the nose with green herbs on the fruit, low acids.

 

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Laurel Lake Vineyards  3165 Main Road, Laurel

A small vineyard owned by Chilean and American vintners.

2016 “Lake Rosé”

Made from Cabernet Sauvignon. Pale pink in color, cantaloupe on the nose, juicy melon notes on the fruit, moderate acidity.

 

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Paumonok Vineyards  1074 Main Road, Aquebogue

One of the original wineries founded in 1983

2016 Rosé

A Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blend. Rust in color with asparagus notes on the nose with crisp cherry notes on the fruit.