Blind Tasting Rosé Sparkling Wines

A selection of brut rosé sparkling wines were purchased at the local grocer with their discount on a six- pack purchase. The tasting proved more challenging than I thought it would. Compared to the non-vintage brut tasting, I have done previously, which was almost unanimous, The brut rosé tasting opinions were all over the place, it was definitely not as clear cut.

First of all we tasted the wines without food and then tasted them again with several different food pairings. There were no bad wines, but blind tasting tells the truth. All the wines are made with méthode champenoise and retail for under $20. US

Finally, we made our conclusions as follows.

WINE NOTES

Wine 1 – Light coral color with small active bubbles. Nose of strawberry and watermelon.
The palate is dry with medium acid and body. Clean and refreshing red fruit flavors with a crisp and clean finish. An easy drinking rosé and an excellent match with the feta cheese with chestnut honey.

Wine 2 – Soft pink color with persistent bubbles and lasting froth. Nose of biscuits with pink roses. The palate is dry, medium bodied, high acidity with red cherry and croissant flavors. Elegant and balanced with a clean crisp finish. Lovely with the cold smoked salmon.

Wine 3 – Very light coral color and very active bubbling. Quite a perfumed nose with floral, strawberry shortcakes and an earthy mineral quality. Dry, medium to full bodied, high acid and fresh strawberry and raspberry flavors mixed with toasted bread. Creamy lingering finish. We all agreed that this was the best food wine of the group; it paired nicely with BBQ chips, spicy shrimp, salmon and aged cheddar cheese.

Wine 4- Pale fuchsia pink color with energized bubbles. Bright and pronounced wild cherry on the nose with lots of red fruit smells. Medium bodied, not fully dry but not sweet either.
A touch of yeast and a very cherry lingering finish. Best paired with Cabot Cellars Cheddar cheese.

Wine 5 – Pale coral with extreme small active bubbling. The nose is a bouquet of pink roses. High acid and medium bodied with flavors of cherry, fresh strawberries and rye toast. Light and crisp with complexity and balance. Long creamy finish. The salmon was a good pairing as was the bacon wrapped walnut.

RESULTS

Wine 5 proved favorite, then wine 3, followed by 4, then 2, then 1.

All the wines were very good! Any one of these are a welcome addition to your next glass of bubbly. I do encourage you to try them and enjoy them.

The wines

Wine 5 = Piper Sonoma Brut Rosé (54% Chardonnay, 39% Pinot Noir, 7% Pinot Meunier)

Wine 3 = Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’ Alsace ( Pinot Noir)

Wine 4 = Korbel Brut Rosé (Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Gamay, Chenin Blanc)

Wine 2= Chandon Brut Rosé (90% Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier)

Wine 1= Mumm Napa Brut Rosé (85% Pinot Noir, 15% Chardonnnay)