slides: In an Oregon summer, Rosé Wine is Everything
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Saturday, May 30, 2015
Carrie Wynkoop & Kaitlin Ohlinger, GoLocalPDX Contributors
Summer is special in Oregon. When the rain subsides and the sun comes out, we’re all reminded why it is that we live here. And it’s made even more special when you uncork Oregon rosé wines.
At Cellar 503, my Oregon-only wine club, we’re partnering this summer with national wine blogger Kaitlin Ohlinger, The Wine Snob, on a special shipment of rosé wines – available to members and non-members alike. (Four bottles for $95; but discounted to $75 for Go Local PDX readers!)
Are you ready for some rose? Without further ado, here’s Kaitlin:
Fun to drink? Yes. Delicious? Check. Comes in a wide variety of textures, colors, grapes, styles and intentions? Yes, yes, yes! I have been giddy with anticipation for months over my collaboration with Cellar 503 for this special shipment of four hand-chosen (by yours truly) bottles of Oregon rosé. I hope that with summer on the way, you take this opportunity to savor all that pink wine has to offer.
What the Cult of Pink Wine Lovers know is this: Rosé is magic. It demands that you stop what you’re doing and drink it, no matter what time it is. One glance at a frosty bottle of rosé, with beads of condensation rolling down its beautiful pink color, and you’re bound to be salivating. Rosé is lighthearted, carefree and a little bit frivolous. You don’t need a specific reason to open a bottle. You needn’t sweat what to pair with it. It goes with a sunny day, an ignored to-do list, and a silenced phone. Rules simply do not apply to it.
Together, these four wines include a total of not two, not five, but eleven different grapes all grown in Oregon. Now that is amazing! The wines range from an unconventional blending of Pinot Noir with Pinot Gris, Chardonnay & Gewürztraminer to a pink wine made entirely from Pinot Gris (more on that later!) to Rhone varietals galore. This is yet another thing we wine people love about rosé: the options are practically endless. Enjoy your tour of Oregon via your wine glass. It may just be the most fun you’ll have all summer.
See Slides Below: Try Rosé at these 4 Oregon Vineyards this Summer
Related Slideshow: Try Rosé at these 4 Oregon Vineyards This Summer
With summer on the way, take the time to savor all that pink wine has to offer. You won't be dissapointed.
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Anne Amie Vineyards
Located in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, Anne Amie boasts one of the best views in the Valley. Once you drive up that driveway, you're not going to want to leave. Ever.
This is a style of Pinot Gris that you don’t see every day! Gris being a red-skinned grape, it is both entirely possible AND entirely delicious to make into pink wine.
Whole-cluster pressed and partially fermented in neutral oak, this wine has a bright burst of nectarines, plums, apricots and other orchard fruits upon first sip. In the mid-palate you will be treated to a nice tongue-tingling pop of spice; nutmeg, fresh rosemary and white pepper. This wine is like a secret weapon, ready to shock and delight even the most astute or - dare I say - snobby wine drinkers.
Anne Amie Vineyards
2014 Huntington Hill Rosé of Pinot Gris
Willamette Valley
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Soter Vineyards
There isn't a more magical location than Soter's Mineral Springs Ranch, located just up the road from Anne Amie in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA.
A delicately woven blend of predominantly Pinot Noir with splashes of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer, this wine soars with high notes of fresh red flowers, strawberries & cream, and streaks of tart pomegranate, cranberry and cherry blossom. Traces of spice linger in the back palate, and the mouthfeel is lifted and effortless.
Bone dry, this wine’s strength is in its versatility; it has enough personality to hold its own over a meal, yet is fun and thirst-quenching enough to qualify as a “porch pounder”. I find this particular wine’s flavors really come alive when served only slightly chilled.
Soter Vineyards
2014 North Valley Rosé
Willamette Valley
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Quady North
You could have knocked me over with a feather after my first taste of this wine. It’s resemblance to the rosé of Southern France is practically uncanny. Although that is not exactly a shocker, considering it is a blend of grapes typically found in Southern France - Grenache, Syrah, Mourvédre, Counoise & Grenache Blanc.
Its lively, flirty nose of rose petals, wild strawberry and pink grapefruit is completely habit-forming. Beautiful high acidity and all stainless steel fermentation make this guy impossibly crisp, clean and fresh. This is a wine I would not hesitate to buy by the case. A serious hat tip to Southern Oregon.
Named an Oregon Winery to Watch by Wine Press Northwest in 2012, winemaker Herb Quady is a rock star. Enough said.
Quady North
2014 Southern Oregon Rosé
Rogue Valley
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Willful Wine
Without question, Willful has been at the very top of my wine radar for months. Winemaker Pam Walden’s wines have stunned me many times over.
This wine has that je ne sais quoi… that thing you can’t put your finger on, but find yourself gazing into your glass repeating “why is it so good?”
A soft rosé of 100% Pinot Noir, it has a subtle yet captivating nose of all things red; ripe strawberry, cherry & raspberry. Twinges of citrus peel and lemongrass are exciting additions to its fruit-forward, outgoing personality.
And then there’s that finish that I can only describe as: clutch. You’ll polish off a bottle without blinking. Oops.
Willful Wine
2014 Rosé
Willamette Valley
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