A Summer Rosé

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Kevin was out last night, so I took the opportunity to pop open a rosé. (He’s not yet a fan of pinks.) I chose the Joseph’s Estate 2004 Caroline Rosé Gamay.

We purchased this wine on my birthday, in January, as we toured the winery region of Niagara on the Lake, Ontario, Canada. It’s one of my favorite places to visit – I love the cheesiness of the Niagara Falls town, the grandeur of the falls, and the beauty of the Niagara Parkway. The wineries in Niagara-on-the-Lake are all very low-key and inviting. We’ve never had a bad experience. It’s not a far drive from here and so enjoyable. Just don’t forget your passport!

Joseph’s Estate is one of the wineries out on the main road. We originally returned to Joseph’s to purchase more of their wonderful sherry. But as always, we purchased a few others as well, including this rosé. One thing I love about smaller wine regions, such as the Finger Lakes or Niagara, is the use of less common grapes. In this case, the rosé is made from the Gamay grape, which lends itself well to light-bodied, fruitier wines.

It’s not a complex wine, nor does it try to be. I enjoy honesty in my wines. You can’t miss the strawberries in this wine – from the nose to the palate. But there are other berries in there too. It’s billed as a semi-dry wine, but I think it’s more than semi-dry. The wine made me wish for some Chinese food, as I know it would have paired nicely. I imagine that when we purchased this in January, in the middle of the snow, this wine made me think of summer. It was a pleasant anecdote for this hot August weather.

My rating: