“Everything’s Coming up Rosé

The sun is out and shining it’s time to pour a glass of rosé. There's  something about drinking rose on a sunny day that just puts you in a serious mood. The feeling of the sun on your face, birds chirping and a refreshing glass of wine in your hand… Ahhh.

The Playdate Collection Tempranillo rosé makes you feel like you're having your very own playdate right in your glass (heyy!). That’s one of the reasons why I love this collection. It’s tasty, approachable and oh so delicious with many different types of cuisines. 

The wine comes from the grape varietal Tempranillo, a grape that you would usually be accustomed to finding mostly in Spain, particularly from the regions of Rioja and Ribera del Duero.  A robust and flavorful grape by nature, this varietal made its way into parts of California in the early 1900s by Spanish settlers. Present day the grape has now been plated in other parts of the U.S. Washington, Texas, and Oregon to name a few. For this rosé the grapes are coming from the wine region of Lake County in California. An area with over 9,000 acres of vineyards and some of the oldest geological lakes in North America make this an ideal place for growing the tasty varietal.

Upon opening to bottle, the color has a beautiful deep red hue with a bright rim. The aromas are quite picturesque. Imagine a warm summer day being on a farm picking fresh raspberries and cherries. This wine is full of those gorgeous notes! The palate is similar to the nose, accompanied by some savory spices, red currants and cranberries, with a bright long finish characteristic of the Tempranillo grape varietal. The wine sees some contact with the skin to get its bright color, then is matured in stainless steel tanks. The grapes for this wine are picked in early September at peak weather. The wine is then brought to the winery has skin contact for 36 hours to retain its vibrant color, then aged in some neutral oak barrels for freshness. This beautiful wine can get from vineyard from your home in a minimum of 6 months’ time. Talk about good juice!

If you’re like me you are probably thinking right now…”What do I want to eat with this?” Well, the truth is this wine is very versatile that it’s tough to narrow down. I like it best with light poultry, soft cheeses and BBQ. Anyone having ham on Easter? This would be a great bottle! Something that calls to mind for me is a recipe I made back in my first year of culinary school. Springtime Chicken Stew with peas and bacon lardons (YUM). So now all that’s left to do is pick up a bottle of this rosé and taste for yourself!  Pick up a bottle today and use the code “health20” at checkout for $1.00 shipping when you purchase 3 or more bottles (Score!).

Check out the recipe section for the Springtime Chicken Stew to make for your next meal. Till next time oneophiles, Cheers!

-Shannon Hurley, Certified Sommelier