Christie Kiley on June 8, 2015 0 Comments Rosé wine is all the rage this summer. As a lover of this refreshing pink wine, I say the recognition is long over due. Anyone that says they do not like it, must not have tried anything outside the realm of white Zinfandel, which is a shame. In a celebratory response to this summer trend, I thought it proper to bring you a rosé from the land where the tradition of making such a lovely wine began. The Rhone Valley, specifically the region of Tavel, is where today’s wine is from. My pick for this week is the Château d’Aquéria 2014 Tavel Rosé. It is said that some of the most beloved rosé wines herald from AOC Tavel. Its climate is dry and arid, and the soil is composed of tightly packed limestone along with rocky and sandy soils. These conditions make for complex rosé. At Château d’Aquéria At Château d’Aquéria, they believe that one can only create great wines once one fosters a deep understanding of mother nature and the surrounding environment. It is about learning how to harmonize with nature and work with it. In holding to their beliefs, each of their vineyards are only farmed naturally and organically. To ensure that the winemaking team at Château d’Aquéria are well-informed of the natural aspects going on in their vineyards, the team has placed a weather system in the center of their vineyards. This allows them to watch and appreciate the influence of the weather in their vineyards. In the vineyards they allow for organic fertilization to take place in a natural way. They not only use organic matter to mix in with the soils, but they also allow for the decomposition of leaves that have fallen to add to their soil which encourages useful micro-organisms to grow. The Château d’Aquéria Tavel Rosé 2014 The vineyards from which the grapes of this wine came from are found in sandy soils. When the fruit has reached maturity, they are hand-harvested and then kept at a cool temperature to ensure that they arrive at the winery in good condition. Usually, grapes grown for rosé are crushed with their skins and are left to macerate with the juices for a period of time. Château d’Aquéria believes this is not the best way to handle the fruit for a well-made rosé wine. While they are hand-harvesting the grapes from twenty year-old vines, the selection process for the fruit takes place right in the vineyard. Then the grapes arrive at the winery where they are not destemmed, but simply pressed and then the juices are sent off to their fermentation tanks. This is to avoid any oxidation of the fruit and its juices and allows for a lesser amount of sulfur to be added. The blend is of a traditional Rhone-style with Grenache being the main component at 50%, with 25% Clairette and 25% Cinsault. The blend has created a wine of a beautiful hue of dusty pink rose petals with strawberry water. The nose will inspire a seafood dinner with its perfume of white spring flowers, white peach, Asian pear and even a little raspberry. The flavors are reminiscent of crisp stone fruits and summer melon. It lingers nicely with a touch of minerality and some light notes of citrus blossom. So go out and get some mussels, clams or oysters. You can cook the mussels and clams together with some sauteed garlic and shallots, throw some Italian parsley in there and mix it up with a touch of fresh tarragon and good sea salt and pepper. Toast up a baguette and you’re ready to enjoy!
