theCompass
 Home   Map   Blog Roll   WineCompass   Wine 101   My Compass 

Riviera Rosé

Riviera Rosé Wine Details
Price: $15.00 per bottle

Description: delicious, dry, versatile, Southern-French style rosé wine made by saigneé of Syrah and Zinfandel. Close your eyes and imagine yourself on the French Riviera. Riviera is a dry Rosé wine made by saigneé of Syrah and Zinfandel. We named after the French Riviera. On the coast of Southern France it is too warm in July and August to drink red wine. So the French drink Rosés. Chilled, very aromatic and dry, the Rosés are lighter than red wines but still offer a significant weight in the mouth. Marketta first began to make a Rosé for her and Jean-Noel's own Summer consumption, when entertaining guests and friends at their house or at the winery.

Varietal Definition
Syrah:
Syrah is the eight hundred pound gorilla of Rhone grapes! In the vineyard and the winery, Syrah is typically an easy grape to work with - healthy, early ripening, resistant to mildew and rot; suitable for winemaking in a variety of styles. The wines from Syrah are tannic without being harsh. The wines will have a taste and smell of dark blue fruit like blackberries and blackcurrant, with a strong spicy side where one can find freshly ground pepper and other spices. Syrah is famous for its part in the French blends, such as Côtes du Rhone and Châteauneuf du Pape.
Zinfandel:
Zinfandel is a variety of red grape planted in over 10 percent of California wine vineyards. DNA fingerprinting revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grape Crljenak Kaštelanski, and also the Primitivo variety traditionally grown in the 'heel' of Italy. It is typically made into a robust red wine. Its taste depends on the ripeness of the grapes from which it is made. Red berry fruits like raspberry predominate in wines from cooler areas such as the Napa Valley, whereas blackberry, anise and pepper notes are more common in wines made in warmer areas such as Sonoma County. Many Zinfandels come from head pruned ‘Old Vines’. ‘Old Vine’ is generally understood to mean a vine that is more than 50 years old and that produces less than three tons per acre. ‘Head Pruning’ is an old European style of pruning that trains the vine into the shape of a goblet. It requires no wires or other complex trellis systems. Head pruning spreads the fruit uniformly along the vine and allows light penetration.In the USA a semi-sweet Rosé (blush-style) wine called ‘White Zinfandel’ has achieved widespread popularity. In fact, this popularity has so outstripped all other forms that many fans think there is actually a grape called “White Zinfandel” (there isn’t)!


Reviews




Back to VGS Chateau Potelle Winery information