Purposefully Made Rosé

I can’t believe it's the end of June, and I haven’t really delved into rosé so far! Maybe because it was weirdly chilly up till right before Memorial Day. I also wanted to stay away from chilled stuff while I recuperated from root canal last week. (I’m fine, thanks. But I don’t recommend it. Take care of your teeth, phew.)

And of course I’m talking about dry rosé, not “blush” and definitely not sweet white zinfandel. That was not wine snobbery, okay. That was I want so much better for you than a crappy bottle of Sutter Home. The good news according to this TheDrinksBusiness.com article is that, while rosé sales were growing as of 2018, sales of white zinfandel were down! Millennials! You're choosing rosé and turning away from white zinfandel! I am so proud of you all. Keep it up.

So imagine my chagrin when I took part in a special (i.e., we need to drum up business because our tasting rooms are closed) summer sale from Turley Wine Cellars, bought their zinfandel rosé, and had it listed as White Zinfandel on my order.

Gah! The shame!

But I mean...that's what it is, basically, right? A rosé made from zinfandel grapes. And let’s face it, they're made basically the same way, except one is sweet and the other isn’t as much.

Turley's 2019 Zinfandel Rosé ($18) has a restrained fruitiness, with a delicate strawberry on the palate. The texture is smooth and refined. No overly tart or fruit-bomby grapefruit here. It has a lovely long finish, with more polish than I often get with rosé. I'd want to pair this with huge fat pink poached shrimp, or poached salmon, something that can stand up to the weight.

This wine is so good that I'm kicking myself that I didn't buy more, and I put it away so I could have more another day! It's made with real skill. If you can scare up some, I heartily recommend doing so.

What's fancy and not so fancy in the rosé world today? Let me know!