I had seen it and heard about it but didn’t believe it.
And then one of the #VaWineChat twitter chats did a rosé evening and this was one of the rosés they featured, with the winemaker participating in the Q&A online. So I had to try it. But where to find it, cause while I do intend to expand the circumference for this blog, I probably won’t go all the way to Williamsburg?
And there it was. Today. At Wegman’s when I took dad shopping.
So a can went in the cart, and then into the fridge. Now here I am sampling the Williamsburg Winery Dry Rose.
In case you’re traveling the Southern Hemisphere and not keeping up, it’s REALLY hot today, like 99 degrees with heat index of 110 hot. So that calls for rosé. And a lot of it.
I don’t know the grapes, but am guessing cab franc and/or merlot. It also doesn’t list a vintage. It is on drier side but there is an element of sweetness in it too that probably is endemic to grapes grown on the coast in Virginia. I’m not sure you can get really great fruit out of that sandy soil…. can you? At least not those grapes, right?
I’m going to rank it lower among my summer rosés, and that is largely because this summer is just full of some incredibly stunning rosé wine – namely – Walsh Twin Notch, Arterra, Early Mountain, and then there have been some fun restaurant rosé wines too, which I still need to find a way to get my hands on. As an aside, I signed up for that grenache rosé producer’s email list and pointed him to the blog post. He still hasn’t responded. Darnit. If you have industry connections and can get me in with him so I can buy a case, please message me. I will definitely treat you to a glass.
Speaking of the best Grenache rosé ever, Friday night was date night with Husband, and we made an early evening of it at Cheesetique in Shirlington – after a week of being a little under the weather, we decided to grab fun twists on grilled cheese there with a lovely capresé appetizer too. I had the rosé flight there, which was quite fun, but I didn’t rate any of the three as “take-home” wines. There was a California, Long Island, and Spanish rosé on the flight – the Cali was good, the Long Island was pretty weak, and I’m shocked it was on the list. The Spanish one was the best of the three, made with grenache, and I’m wondering how much grenache rosé is out there in the world now. Here is a new category for me to explore. Too bad grenache doesn’t grow in Virginia – a little creative googling revealed one winery growing it right now, and it’s only about an hour and a half away, so there may be a road trip …
Anyway, we tried something new, but for now, we’re recommending the old faithfuls – Walsh Twin Notch and Plateau, Arterra, Linden’s is worth checking out though it’s very light, and then go out and find some fun ones! I liked Glen Manor’s Morales rosé, but I didn’t bring any home with me.
What are you drinking to stay cool in this ridiculous heat?
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