Temecula Valley Wine Tasting Part II

Happy National Wine Day! Yes, that’s really a thing. What better way to spend a Friday than with a glass of wine and some light reading about wine. If you missed the first installment of my Temecula Wine Tasting Tour, check that out here. On our quest to sample all the wineries in Temecula, we’ve recently added a few more favorites to our list, and what better time to do so than during Temecula Valley Wine Country’s 50th anniversary. With summer quickly approaching, my wine focus has switched from white to rosé.

No Way, Rosé

I feel like I’m learning something new about wine every day: for example, I recently discovered all wine grapes are basically the same in appearance from the outside, which changed everything. And, more importantly, I found out not all rosés taste the same—mind blown. Rosé is not the type of wine, but instead the way in which the wine is prepared. Any red wine grape can be used to make a rosé—so many possibilities!

“Pink wine happily spans the colorspace between red and white wine, in a way, rosé is more like a state of mind.”—Wine Folly

Why are rosés perfect wines for summer? Most rosé wines have light, floral or fruity notes and typically feature a bit of sweetness. The result is a crisp, refreshing sip, best enjoyed on a sunny patio with a cool breeze. Unlike reds, rosés are best served chilled—treat them like a white.

On this trip to Temecula, we visited 3 new wineries, all of which featured at least one rosé. From the rosés I tried, each tasted different from the next. Not to mention the variation in color was pretty obvious, as well. Some were more of a deep pink color where others had the lighter pink you’d traditionally expect in a rosé. The 3 wineries we visited this time were Danza del Sol, Wiens, and Miramonte.

At Danza del Sol, my rosé of choice was “Tres Rose,” a blend of 45% Cabernet Franc grapes 25% Cinsault grapes, and 30% Mourvedre grapes. This wine had notes of peach blossom and melon, along with flavors of candied ruby grapefruit and nectarine.

At Wiens, my favorite rosé was “Pink Crowded,” a blend of Zinfandel grapes, La Cresta Malbec grapes, Temecula Valley Pinot Noir grapes and Temecula Valley Sangiovese grapes. It had notes of watermelon, ripe strawberry, and rose petal.

Last, but certainly not least, Miramonte’s “2017 Rosé,” a blend of 38% Grenache grapes, 25% Cinsault grapes, 16% Tempranillo grapes, 11% Mourvedre grapes and 10% Syrah grapes—talk about a blend of everything! This rosé was very floral on the nose, and it had notes of fresh peaches, nectarines, watermelon, and citrus. Without a doubt, my favorite rosé of the day was “Tres Rosé", followed by Miramonte’s “2017 Rosé.” Both had just the right amount of sweetness while still preserving the bright peach notes. Say hello to my new favorite summer wines.

Running Recap:

We’ve now explored 8 wineries in the Temecula Valley, which is about 20% of all the wineries in the area. We’ve still got a ways to go, but we like to keep a running list of our favorites at each winery. Reminder: Kevin prefers red wines, fruit notes, oak, vanilla and chocolate-y flavor profiles—since last time, he’s begun to seek out wines that have a strong smell of fruit or berry up front, and have a light peppery finish. Whereas I prefer white wines, a touch of sweetness, no tobacco or earthy flavor profiles.

Avensole

Kevin’s Pick: Enchante
Alexa’s Pick: Muscat Canelli

Oak Mountain

Kevin’s Pick: Ed’s Red
Alexa’s Pick: Mango Champagne

Maurice Car’rie

Kevin’s Pick: Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexa’s Pick: Baked Brie (Seriously though, this stuff is addicting. Sourdough bread, melty cheese, and garlic butter—Yes, please.)

Fazeli Cellars