So, it's not technically rose season. Not that wines really have a season, but I always think of rose as a hot weather thing. But this one called my name, and I thought it would pair delicously with the chicken and olive vinaigrette I'm planning for dinner tonight. I must begin by emphasizing the fact that not all rose is a blush wine, a la Beringer or Riunite. It doesn't have to be sweet, and it doesn't have to be...nasty. In fact, I love rose. Roses just have a bad reputation, much like pitbulls, as a result of people mistreating them.
I'm not entirely sure what the blend of grapes is in this particular wine. Bardolino is the appellation, and also the type of wine (called Bardolino Chiaretto in the case of roses), but the grapes can be a blend of several, such as corvina, rondinella, and molinara. They are the same grapes used in Valpolicella, a wine that became one of my favorites after a trip to Venice a couple of years ago.
This wine is absolutely beautiful in the glass. One of the things I love about rose wines is the range of colors they can assume. This one is is salmon pink, weighted heavily on the orange side. The aromas aren't overly powerful - green apple and lime, with something weightier in the background, almost a smokiness.
Another thing I love about rose is its tendency towards creaminess with a hint of strawberries that comes after the acidity mellows out in the mouth. It doesn't always happen, but happily in this case it has. The wine is bone dry, and the first impression is of bracing acidity and a hint of effervescence. The wine then evolves a slight astringency and bitterness (there is some skin contact in the wine-making processes, which gives the wine its color, and can also lend depth of flavor and structure), then comes that delicious strawberries and cream. I'd be happy to drink roses all winter long!
Vintage: 2009
Grape: Unknown
Region: Italy, Veneto
Price: $15
My rating: 91/100
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