Around the World in 4 Rosés
Weingut Weszeli Rosé Eden
the place
Österreich, Austria
the grapes
80% Zweigelt, 20% Cabernet Franc
the process
From 25 year old vines planted in loess soils, the grapes are vineyard sorted and hand-harvested in mid-September. Maceration takes place for 1-12 hours for 65% of the grapes that are also de-stemmed), while the other 35% whole cluster pressing. Spontaneous fermentation takes place with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and lasts three weeks under temperature control. The wine spends one month in contact with the lees (no stirring). Aged in steel tank for four months. Unfiltered.
the price
Bottle: $19 | Glass: $8
Illahe
the place
Willamette Valley, Oregon
the grapes
Tempranillo
the process
The grapes are immediately pressed whole-cluster with no cold-soak period. Fermentation takes place in French oak and acacia barrels in addition to stainless-steel tanks.
the price
Bottle: $25 | Glass: $11
Broc Cellars White Zinfandel
the place
Sonoma Valley + Mendocino, California
the grapes
Zinfandel
the process
“If you don't know the history of White Zinfandel at Broc, it's a fun story to tell. Chris has been working with the Zinfandel vines at Arrowhead Mountain Vineyard since 2004. The vineyard is steep and the top of the vineyard gets a lot of sun throughout the day. We pick the grapes early so they don't get too much sun exposure since the Zinfandel grape is very thin skinned. Those grapes don't make it into our Vine Starr, but it's really nice fruit to make a delicious rosé. We decided to call it White Zinfandel at our first release because of its high acidity but softer palate. It started out as a tongue in cheek reference that we have embraced and now it's a perennial fan favorite. The story of this wine is a happy surprise -- perfect for a summer out of doors. In the cellar, after the Arrowhead grapes arrived, we foot stomped whole cluster and left the grapes to macerate for 4 hours. Then we pressed into stainless tank where it fermented for 10 days and transferred to our 4400 liter stainless tank for 8 months. The Ricetti Vineyard’s Zinfandel was brought in and made as a light red wine, whole cluster. The small amount added to the Arrowhead base gives the wine its structure.”
the price
Bottle: $35 | Glass: $15
Château Pradeaux
the place
Bandol, France
the grapes
Cinsault (50%) and Mourvèdre (50%)
the process
The Barbera, Sauvignon Blanc and Primitivo fermented together whole cluster, layered alternating each variety until we reached the top of the tank and sealed it. True carbonic fermentation occurred. We pressed the wine to age in a 41 hL concrete tank, one of our sandstone terra cotta jars and 2 neutral French oak barrels.
the price
Bottle: $43 | Glass: $19