Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Rosé Quartet Dazzles With Art And Winemaking

These wines are stylish inside and out. The art outside intrigues while the rosé inside delivers a well-crafted wave of refreshment.

The “Wow” Factor Of Rosé


Art and wine are a good pairing. Long ago we vowed not to purchase “critter wines” just because of cute animals on the label. We’re focused on the heavenly juice inside the bottle. We’re not immune, though, to an attractively produced bottle. A classy piece of artwork on the label may be a good indication that the people behind the wine have good taste.

That’s certainly the case with four rosé wines we recently sampled as part of the Wine Studio online education program. Each had striking art on the bottle as well as stirring wine inside. Here we unveil the four works of art:


Bedell Cellars 2017 Taste Rosé, Long Island, NY $18

This rosé is a blend of 60% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc, 5% Syrah, and 5%Cabernet Sauvignon. If offers strawberry and vibrant acidity with herbal notes. Artwork is by internationally acclaimed conceptual artist Barbara Krueger. She created the image “Taste” for Bedell Cellars, suggesting the notion that taste can influence what we love, how we live, and who we think we are. The art is a good match for the wine. Bedell is considered by many to be the benchmark winery on the East Coast, so if you are not familiar with Long Island wine, this is a great starting point.

Babylonstoren 2016 Mourvedre Rosé, Simonsberg-Paarl, Western Cape SA $22


Bablyonstoren is a Mourvedre rosé from South Africa. The cryptic label is laser etched. The symbol on this bottle is the Babylonstoren logo, consisting of the pipe (representing the farmer), the flower (representing the garden) and the bird (representing nature). It represents the essence of Babylonstoren – keeping things simple and as true to the earth as possible. South Africa is a wine lover’s dream with epic scenery and magnificent wineries. This wine would be perfect for a special occasion and can pair with a variety of foods. Elegant with floral touches and raspberry notes.

Eric Kent Wine Cellars 2017 Rosé, Sonoma County, CA $22


This beauty from Eric Kent Wine Cellars is 77% Pinot Noir, 17% Syrah and 8% Grenache. It has a slight cloudiness since it is unfiltered as well as  flavors of tart apple and raspberry. There is nice minerality and the Syrah adds body. The mind boggling artwork is by Yellena James. It is one of the most interesting pieces of label art I’ve seen and elevates the wine drinking experience to a higher level. The art reminds me of “Octopus’ Garden” by the Beatles. We paired it with salmon over a warm broth of kale, bacon and beans. Outstanding!

Domaine Paul Mas 2017 Côté Mas Rosé, Aurore Languedoc, France, $12.99


This wine from the south of France has an arresting label in a couple of ways. First, there is a sticker noting 33% more wine – that’s because it is a liter bottle, not 750 ML. The artwork is an eye-catching pastel of the original Domains Paul Mas family estate in the Art Nouveau style. The artwork captures the “luxe rural” vibe of Paul Mas wines, which has a philosophy of enjoying the simple pleasures of life. It has round, juicy flavors of cherry and candied fruit. We paired it with bacon-wrapped turkey tenderloin with fresh chimichurri sauce and roasted corn with Cotji cheese. It was an unexpected and delightful pairing. A great go-to wine for your Bastille Day celebration!

No comments: