It's Rosé Time
- Wines Under 30
- Jun 7, 2020
- 2 min read
On a sunny weekend afternoon during summertime, there are not too many things in life more pleasant than a nice glass of chilled rosé.
I went on my weekly wine run a few days ago - I usually pick up several bottles of reds, but every once in a while I like to throw in a non-red wine. I had originally ordered a bottle of the Swick Gewurztraminer Orange wine, but my local wine store sold out and suggested the rosé by the same winemaker instead. To be honest, I am mixed on rosés - they are a hit or miss for me. Luckily, this one was a hit.
Don't rosé wines have the prettiest colors? As you may already know, rosé gets its pretty pink color from the skins of red grapes touching the wine for a short period of time, typically between 2 to 20 hours. There is a misconception that rosé is made by mixing red and white wines, but this is not the case (in fact, this would be very frowned upon by winemakers). Rosé can be made by using nearly any grape type used to make red wines, though there are certain types that are more popular, such as Grenache, Sangiovese, Syrah, and Pinot Noir, among others. Depending on the grape variety and the winemaking process, rosé wines also have varying qualities and flavor profiles like red/white wines.
The 2019 Swick Rosé "Bring It" is from Willamette Valley in Oregon and is an organic wine made from Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is typically fruit-forward and delicate, and this wine certainly reflects the qualities of delicate fruitiness with floral aromas.
My tasting notes on the 2019 Swick Rosé "Bring It" ($25):
See: The wine has a beautiful rose pink color with salmon hues.
Swirl: It's light-bodied as expected. It's also pretty low in alcohol (11.8%).
Smell: Fruity at first with green apple, melon, and lemon zest with floral notes. There is some earthy funk (in a good way), which I think many Oregon wines have.
Sip: The first sip was citrus-forward with orange and lemon, followed by a strong note of green apple. The wine is high in acidity but has a nice clean finish. It's definitely dry (which I tend to prefer vs. sweet rosés), yet still delicate and elegant.
Savor: The wine has a clean, smooth finish with minerals and a bit of salinity nicely balancing out the acidity. I also got some peach and watermelon flavors, which were brought out with air and perhaps higher temperature (I didn't have ice to chill the bottle in while sitting in the sun). Overall, the texture is beautiful. It's an easy-to-drink and refreshing rosé - I give it 2 thumbs up.
Overall, I'm very impressed by this rosé. If you're looking for a rosé that is dry (not sweet), you'll probably enjoy this one. I've always liked wines from Oregon which have some earthiness to them, and I am definitely going to try other wines from Swick. This bottle of rosé also might be the one I bring to the next picnic at the park (which I hope will be soon).
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