Rocket Pop
These rosés made us think of fireworks and bottle rockets because the wines are so vibrant and lively! Taste through this amazing lineup to see which one is your favorite. Featuring natural rosé from Portugal, Spain, California and Italy!
Ameztoi Rubentis
Grapes: Hondarrabi Zuri, Hondarrabi Beltza
Place: Getariako Txakolina - Spain
Process: After handpicking, hondarrabi zuri and hondarrabi beltza grapes are combined for destemming; the white and red grapes are worked together, not separately. After direct pressing, fermentation with indigenous yeast occurs in stainless steel at 15° C for 20 days. Towards the end of alcoholic fermentation, the tanks are closed to preserve the naturally occurring carbonation, which is the preferred style of Getaria. The tanks are then kept chilled to near freezing before bottling, which preserves the wine’s delicate, effervescent character and signature mousse. These attributes are unattainable through shortcuts such as force-carbonation, which Ameztoi has never employed.
Family: The iconic Ameztoi Rubentis rosé is a field blend of the local, indigenous hondarrabi zuri and hondarrabi beltza varieties, grown on traditional trellises high on the slopes rising above Getaria, an ancient Basque fishing village on Spain’s rugged northern coast. In the 2000s, when almost all of the other local wineries gave up on the indigenous red hondarrabi beltza vines, the Ameztoi family retained their old vines, in turn, lending their rosé such exceptional vibrancy and complexity. Rubentis, the region’s first pink wine, was inspired by the historic claret style wines which were once produced in the area long before the current global craze made rosé famous. The backbone of the blend comes from an old hondarrabi beltza vineyard planted in 1840, preserved by the Ameztoi family for generations. Ameztoi Rubentis is an authentic original, a wine that is often imitated but never replicated.
Bottle: $29 | Glass: $13
Pannonica
Grapes: Blaufränkisch, Pinot Noir, St. Laurent
Place: Burgenland - Austria
Process: Sustainable Farming, Hand Harvested, Stainless Steel Fermentation and ageing.
Family: Höpler is an Austrian family-owned winery located southeast of Vienna in Burgenland. Their 113ac/46ha of vineyards lie in the Leithaberg Hills on the shores of Lake Neusiedl. This unique location enables them to produce a wide range of wines: 55% white wine, 40% red and 5% dessert wine.
Their vineyards are on some of the most prized and oldest sites in Burgenland: Kirchberg, Jungkirchberg, Schanz, Hirschäcker, Altvierholzer and Rosenberg. Different soils, such as clay, limestone, gravel and pre-historic rocks aid the production of complex and full-bodied wines. Their vineyards are planted to Blaufränkisch, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, St. Laurent, Zweigelt, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc.
The Pannonian climate bestows the area with the highest amount of sunshine in Central Europe and the highest average temperature in Austria. The regional climate is not only determined by its east-facing position, but also by continental influences. This mixture has a very positive effect on winemaking. In the winter, it is cold and has little snow, in the summer hot and humid. 2,000 hours of sunshine, high humidity and an average of 500ml of rain per year provide climatically unique conditions for the production of premium wines.
Bottle: $15 | Glass: $6
Wonderland Ranch
Grapes: 100% Syrah
Place: Marsh Creek (Contra Costa) - California
Process: 100% whole cluster press after foot treading and 2-hours of skin contact. Malolactic fermentation was arrested. Fermented and aged in stainless steel for 4 months prior to bottling unfined.
Family: The Wonderland Project was founded in 2010 by wine broker and former sommelier, Matt Ahern with the help of pedigreed Sonoma grape growers. The Wonderland Project produces Sonoma County Appellation Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from organically farmed vineyards in Carneros. We rely on native yeast fermentations and minimal interventionist methods. We celebrate California.
Bottle: $37 | Glass: $15
Poderi Cellario É Rosato
Grapes: Dolcetto (San Luigi Vineyard) & Nebbiolo (Galli Vineyard).
Place: Piedmont - Italy
Process: Hand-harvested into small bins. Pneumatic direct press. Spontaneous fermentation. Aged in Stainless Steel for 6 to 8 months until bottling. Bottled with minimal sulphur (~10ppm) and without sterile filtering or fining.
Family: Fausto and Cinzia Cellario are 3rd generation winemakers in the village of Carru` on the western outskirts of the Langhe. The family believes in only working with local, indigenous Piemontese grape varieties and fiercely defends local winemaking traditions both in the vineyard work and the cellar practices. The Cellario vineyard holdings cover some 30 ha between 5 different vineyard sites covering the southern Langhe. With holdings in Novello and Monforte, the Dogliani plot is arguably the family’s most prestigious land and I would consider them Dolcetto specialists. Vineyard work is organic (soon to be certified) and all the fermentation take place with indigenous yeasts. Sulfur is only added in tiny quantities at bottling if necessary (a practice not common with a winery in this mid-size range).
Bottle: $27 | Glass: $12