One of this Summer’s wine studios was focused on the importance of rosé wine labels on #winestudio, a conversation about wine that occurs on Twitter most Tuesday evenings at 8 pm CST. With rosés of almost every pink shade vying for consumer attention, it was time to talk about the many factors of why consumers buy and how packaging is certainly an important part.
We started our first week with a conversation with Alyssa and Ian Wolf who own Red Wolf Imports, an importing company the Wolfs created solely for South African wines after they vacationed in the winelands. They brought to life the picturesque property and made us yearn to visit with the Simonsberg, Du Toitskloof and Franschhoek mountains as backdrop and majestic gardens.
rosé wine
Dating back to 1692, the fortunes of this historic fruit and wine farm took a turn ten years ago when it was acquired by former magazine editor Karen Roos. Her passion for historic Cape Dutch style led to an authentic yet contemporary restoration that projects the farm into the future.
We moved to the Babylonstoren 2016 Mourvèdre Rosé (SRP $22) from South Africa. There are notes of raspberry, strawberry, orange, floral and mineral notes. The perfect summer wine. The bottle depicts the Babylonstoren logo consisting of the pipe (representing the farmer), the flower (representing the garden) and the bird (representing nature).
The next week, we moved to a conversation with Kent Humphrey and his wife Coleen Teitgen, the co-owners of Eric Kent Wine Cellars. I loved the quote from Eric Kent Wine Cellars. “The pursuit of making fine wine goes on forever. Each vintage brings new challenges and triumphs, more discoveries and deeper desires. Palates evolve, knowledge grows, new vineyards beckon … ideas flow. It’s really about the journey after all.” The winery combines the shared passion for art and wine and the couple promotes artists that they believe in.
The 2017 Sonoma Coast Rosé (SRP $22) was a blend of Pinot Noir, Syrah and Grenache. The wine is sourced from a variety of small producers in Napa and Sonoma. Kent talked about wine, history and celebration as well as how important the farmers are to the winery. I tasted hibiscus, ripe berries, white flowers, watermelon and a great minerality. The artist for this bottle is Yellena James.
rosé wine
Our next week was spent with Bedell Cellars, a Long Island Winery, that was founded in 1980 by the Bedell Family, known for its estate-grown Merlot. In 2000, the winery was sold to Michael Lynne, the art collector and film executive. He kept the tradition of small craft wines and we tried the 2017 Bedell Cellars Taste Rosé (SRP $18). This wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. I tasted notes of strawberries, rose petals, herbs, cherry and a great minerality. The artist for this bottle is Barbara Kruger.
Cote Mas Product Line Previously Featured on A Past Blog
I was in Italy for week 4 which featured Domaine Paul Mas 2017 Côté Mas Rosé Aurore Languedoc, France, and we were joined by Guillaume Virsolvy, Sales and Marketing Manager of the Americas. In 2012, Jean-Claude’s philosophy of “Luxe Rural”–an appreciation of the simple pleasures of life, artfully rendered by nature–crystallized with the opening of the Côté Mas Restaurant where the wines were first introduced, and became so popular that they are now available worldwide.
The label is an eye-catching pastel drawing of the original family estate in the Art Nouveau style. Jean-Claude worked to find an artist who had the Toulouse Lautrec style. I tasted notes of strawberry, cherry, watermelon, herbs and spice. This is a great value rosé and comes in a liter bottle.
