Many of us have spent quarantine trying new things or going back to things we enjoy but normally don't make time for. With the warmer weather has emerged my rediscovery of my love of rosé! It's a great wine for those still learning what they like because there a so many different grapes and styles that can be made, and it's great for those who are wine lovers because there's always something different to try.
When I first started drinking rosé I found most options to be too dry, but over the last 3-4 years I've found that's changed and Virginia has a wide array of this wine to try. However, I didn't know about Rosé of Tannat until our time in quarantine. According to my research only three are available at Virginia wineries right now, so I thought I'd taste them all for you (and for my own curiosity of course)! I also got my family to taste test as well which is always fun.
The Tannat grape is best known as being grown in the Southwest region of France known as Madiran AOC, but it's also become well established in Uruguay. Because I'm still learning my way around red wine I personally have found the Tannats I've tried to be one the drier side and not very distinguishable in taste, so I was happily surprised to find that the rose versions I tried were a lot more easy-drinking than I expected.
Keeping it short and sweet this time - here my thoughts about these wines from Chateau O'Brien, Stinson Vineyards, and 50 West! (Apologies that the glasses don't match the winery)
#1: 2018 Chateau O'Brien (Markham, Faquier County) - This my top choice (and my sister's too). Definitely recommend eating something spicy with it - I was eating chorizo as part of my dinner and it really brought out the fruit flavor.
The slight smell of strawberry definitely translated into the flavor. This wine was the fruitiest of the three - as you can tell from the dark pink color I would say this is probably the 'heaviest' of the three as a heads up to those that like a really light, refreshing rosé for a summer day.
I had never been to this winery before, but it will be on my list post-quarantine as it was beautiful when I stopped for my wine pick-up!
#2: 2019 Stinson Vineyards (Crozet, Albemarle County) - I also have never been to this winery and just bought the wine online, but I'm looking forward to visiting sometime! As you can tell from the 'peachier' color in the photo above, this is very different from the Chateau O'Brien but still made from the same grape!
This wine was the driest of the three, and the one I would recommend if you're looking for a crisp rosé to drink on a warm summer day. There wasn't a distinct flavor that stood out, but let me know if you find one!
#3: 2019 50 West Sparkling (Middleburg, Loudoun County) - I am not a big fan of bubbly (don't drink soda and only champagne in a mimosa) so I was a little nervous about a sparkling rosé. I was very pleasantly surprised and am now be more open-minded about trying them!
It's not as 'bubbly' as you'd might expect, and I detected distinct citrus notes in this sparkling wine. I enjoyed this as a refreshing after-dinner wine for several days.
I hope this review gets you a little more familiar and excited about this type of wine as the days warm up and we are slowly making our way back out into the world, even if it's just on your back porch!
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