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Syrah Rose

Syrah Rose Wine Details
Price: $16.00 per bottle

Description: Five years ago it seemed as though no "serious wine person" would be caught dead drinking pink wine. Embarrassing ghosts of white zinfandels past haunted many a wine sensibility. However, in just a few short years, dry roses have become perfectly respectable, even sought after by wine aficionados everywhere. And why not? Europeans have been quaffing rosy wines at lunchtime for eons. Roses are low in alcohol, light on the palate, you serve them chilled and, like sparkling wine, they go with just about anything. The succulent watermelon hue of 2004 Buttonwood Syrah Rose is the result of 4 hours of skin contact while whole cluster pressing after harvest. Cold fermentation of six weeks and four months of stainless steel aging preserve the just-picked juicy flavors that suggest pineapple and banana along with strawberry that follows through from the aroma.

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)!


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