All of the sparkling rosé wines we’ve reviewed recently have been on the dry side.  Brut, to be precise.  But not every bubbly wine drinker is into the dry wines, so let’s check out one that’s off dry (i.e. slightly sweet).

The Martini Sparkling Rosé is an Italian sparkler made from a blend of brachetto, malvasia and moscato bianco from Northern Italy.

This wine has a pretty interesting bouquet, showing a blend of strawberry, rose and tropical fruit aromas.  The brachetto appears to be the dominant grape in the blend, adding the strawberry characteristics.  The palate is slightly sweet and brimming with ripe berry and peach flavors.  I would have liked a touch more acidity to balance the sweetness, but I think many who prefer sweeter wines will enjoy this one.

For food pairings, go with rich, creamy cheeses.  Or try it with fruits like peaches and apricots.

Wine: Martini Sparkling Rosé
Variety: Sparkling Rosé
Vintage: N/V
Alcohol: 9.5%
Rating: 84
Price: $13.99

Find Martini Sparkling Rosé with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

It’s time to put a little twist into these sparkling rosé wines we’ve been reviewing lately.  So, you’re probably familiar with malbec and know it to be a tasty, full red wine with deep, inky-dark color.  Would you believe that you can get a sparkling rosé wine out of it?  Well, not only can you get a sparkling rosé out of it, but you can get a downright awesome sparkling rosé from it.

Enter, Alma Negra Rosé Malbec.  This wine, like much malbec that we see in the US these days, comes from Mendoza, Argentina.  The winery is relatively young, starting with the 2003 vintage, although the vineyards where the grapes for this wine were grown have been planted for 18-20 years.

Calling this a rosé may even be a stretch.  It looks more like a sparkling white, but there is the slightest pink hue to the color.  Quite amazing to come from a grape normally known for its deep purple colors.

The nose offers a beatiful and harmonious blend of yeast, floral, lemon peel and raspberry aromas.  The palate is equally beautiful, with a mineral and citrus flavor that just tastes clean and refreshing.  It has a wonderfully creamy mouth feel too.  The floral notes return on the finish, which is also a touch salty.  This is a superb bottle of bubbly.

The suggested retail price is above our normal $20 limit, but I have seen this wine for as low as $16 at retail.  And the creepy face on the label is an added bonus.

Wine: Alma Negra Rosé Malbec
Variety: Sparkling Rosé Malbec
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 12.8%
Rating: 90
Price: $24.00

Find Alma Negra Rosé Malbec with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

Yet again, we’re tasting some pink, bubbly wine.  And again it’s a brut rosé Cava.

If you love sparkling wine, but haven’t discovered Cava yet, you’re missing out on some awesome bargains.  Cava is Spain’s version of Champagne.  Of course, Champagne being not just a generic name for sparkling wine but being a sparkling wine from a specific region in France.  Similarly, Cava not only represents a style of sparkling wine, but also a region—in this case the region (or regions) are in Spain.  It is regions (plural) because Cava can be made in six different wine regions within Spain.

The methods used to produce Cava are very similar to the methods used to produce Champagne, however the grapes often differ.  In the case of this Brut Rosé from Juvé y Camps, however, the grapes used are pinot noir, which is acceptable in either region.

The nose of this bubbly is predominantly yeast, although there are some strawberry and floral aromas tucked underneath that.  The palate is bone dry, showcasing the mineral side of this wine.  It also offers tart cherry, cranberry and citrus flavors.  The finish leaves you with a nice balance of mineral and fruit, that I can only describe as salted berries.

Wine: Juvé y Camps Brut Rosé
Variety: Sparkling Rosé Cava – Pinot Noir
Vintage: N/V
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 86
Price: $17.00

Find Juvé y Camps Brut Rosé with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

We’ve been reviewing some rosé wines lately, and more specifically we’ve tasted a number of sparkling rosé wines.  So, let’s continue that theme with another rosé cava that’s an absolute bargain.

Segura Viudas Brut Rosé is made from 90% Trepat and 10% Garnacha.  The grapes come from an estate in Torrelavit, Alt Penedès in Spain.  I’d say this would make a nice salad wine, or would go great with fish.

The nose is a well-balanced blend of light strawberry and yeast aromas.  The palate is more on the citrus side, with flavors like orange peel and lime juice.  It also shows some light strawberry flavors, particularly in the mid palate and toward the finish.  There’s a touch of mineral on the finish as well.  The mouth feel is beautifully bubbly.

At a mere ten bucks, this one is a steal!

Wine: Segura Viudas Brut Rosé
Variety: Sparkling Rosé Cava
Vintage: N/V
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 87
Price: $12.00

Find Segura Viudas Brut Rosé with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

It’s time to talk about more pink bubbly stuff.  Wine, that is.  Cava, to be more specific.

Yesterday, we highlighted a unique rosé cava from Freixenet, their Elyssia Pinot Noir Brut.  But if you’re looking for an even better bargain, then it may be the Freixenet Cordon Rosado Brut that piques your interest.  It’s a few dollars less expensive and comparable in quality, although the flavor profile is different, so read on.

The Cordon Rosado Brut is made from a blend of trepat and garnacha.  One interesting note about trepat is that there are only about 1,000 hectares of it grown.  It is an indigenous Spanish variety and needs a special type of soil to grow well.  Garnacha (or grenache), on the other hand, is one of the most widely planted grapes in the world.

The nose offers a beautiful balance of yeast, apple and berry aromas, with moderate intensity.  The palate brings a delicate mouthfeel with vibrant flavors.  A good bit of acidity give this wine a burst of granny smith apple flavor up front followed by cranberry and raspberry flavors.  It finishes dry and with a touch of mineral.  This is a really tasty bottle of bubbly rosé at an absolute bargain of a price.

Wine: Freixenet Cordon Rosado Brut
Variety: Sparkling Rosé Cava
Vintage: N/V
Alcohol: 12%
Rating: 87
Price: $12.00

Find Freixenet Cordon Rosado Brut with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

Freixenet is a pretty big name in the bubbly wine aisle as they are a pretty reliable brand for tasty-yet-affordable sparkling wines.  They are known for their cava, which in simple terms is Spanish sparkling wine made in the traditional champenoise method… yes, there are more specifics to cava, but let’s keep it simple for now.

While Freixenet is best known for their black bottle sparkling wines, my eye was caught by the elegant bottle design of their Elyssia Pinot Noir Brut.  It’s simple, sleek and stylish with a ribbon connecting the neck to the label.  The color of the wine inside this bottle makes this one stand out.  And fortunately, the taste of that wine is also something that stands out.

This sparkler is made of 85% pinot noir and 15% trepat.  Resulting in a tasty sparkling rosé brut.

Tangy raspberry aromas and a touch of yeast give this wine a pleasant and intriguing bouquet.  The palate continues the raspberry theme, but also offers a bit of blackberry and some white pepper.  The bubbles and acidity give the wine a vibrant mouth feel.  It’s quite a harmonious and elegant wine and a bargain at this price.

Wine: Freixenet Elyssia Pinot Noir Brut Cava
Variety: 85% Pinot noir, 15% trepat
Vintage: N/V
Alcohol: 11.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $18.00

Find Freixenet Elyssia Pinot Noir Brut with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

Some guys might say it’s not too masculine to drink sparkling wine.  Some might say it’s not too masculine to drink rosé, or “pink” wine.  Well, I’m going to throw all caution to the wind and drink a wine that’s both pink and sparkling… and I’ll admit that I love every sip of it!

Mumm Napa has become one of the names that I trust for good, yet surprisingly affordable sparkling wine.  We’ve reviewed their Brut Prestige in the past, so we figured it was about time to check out another of their wines, the Brut Rosé.

This wine has a seductive bouquet with an elegant and perfectly balanced blend of aromas like black cherry, strawberry and orange peel.  There’s also some yeastiness to the nose.  The acidity on the palate is superb, giving a crisp and fresh expression to green apple, citrus and wild cherry flavors.  The finish is nice and dry, with a salted green apple characteristic.

Wine: Mumm Napa Brut Rosé
Variety: Sparkling Rosé
Vintage: N/V
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 87
Price: $15.00

Find Mumm Napa Brut Rosé with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

Last week I reviewed the SPELLwine sangiovese and this week we’re checking out their syrah.

I admit it.  I have a prejudice against Californian syrah.  I’ve had far too much of it that is over-extracted, syrupy sweet and too overpowering to pair with anything I eat.  It’s not the grape’s fault.  I’ve had plenty of syrah-laden wines from Cotes du Rhone that are awesome!  And with this syrah from SPELLwine, winemaker Kristen Spelletich proves to me that it’s not California’s fault either.  It’s the choices the winemakers are making.

Kristen approaches syrah in a way that she says is “appropriate for the varietal.”  And she does it well, proving my prejudice is misplaced.  California can create a balanced, approachable syrah.  And the SPELLwine syrah is also one with enough structure to last a few years.

“In twenty years there won’t be and good library wines available,” Kristen commented to me.  ”Because everyone is manipulating the shit out of their wine to make it drinkable now.  But it’s not good for aging.  What’s wrong with letting a wine lie in the bottle or a barrel for a few years?”

And this one has been lying around for a few years.  Check the vintage on this wine.  It’s a 2006!  But it’s not something I’ve had lying around, you can buy the 2006 vintage of syrah from SPELLwine today!  How awesome is that?  Rather than bottling a full vintage and moving it out as quickly as they can, they let it sit and bottle on demand.

This syrah offers a beautiful, harmonious nose with aromas like black pepper, black raspberry, plums and toasted oak.  The palate brings scrumptious fruit flavors that come through as full but not jammy.  It starts with plum and berry flavors, then evolves into spice on the midpalate.  The tannins are just enough to give some texture to the mouthfeel, although I wouldn’t call it silky.  This is a well balanced and structured wine, but it’s little agressive on the edges, making it just shy of elegant.  But it’s still a spectacular wine and a great example of what I wish more Californian winemakers would do with this varietal.

Wine: SPELLwine
Variety: Syrah
Vintage: 2006
Alcohol: 14.4%
Rating: 89
Price: $16.00

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

While I love a bargain on wines, I get bored with factory-made wines that while not offensive just have no excitement to them.  So many wines on the market today are manipulated in an attempt to “standardize” the flavor.  And it’s not just the cheap ones.  A lot of this is done in order to make while appealing to drink right off the shelf.  But I appreciate it when I come across producers who create wines the old way.  Wines that should sit in the cellar for a few years before you drink them.  Sure, it’s a little more work as a wine consumer.  But the wine tends to have a little more character, at least that’s been my experience.

Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard is one such producer.  They’ve been creating European-style, cellar-worthy wines since the 1970′s.  In 2008 they launched a new brand called Quinta Cruz, which includes only varietals that are native to the Iberian peninsula.

While their prices tend to be toward the upper-end of our bargain-hunter price limits (and some over), sometimes a splurge is in order for a special wine.

I had an opportunity to check out their tempranillo from Pierce Ranch in San Antonio Valley, California.  And while I would have liked to tuck this one into the cellar for a few years, I had no complaints.

The nose on this wine is absolutely beautiful, with aromas of blackberry, cherry, coffee, cured meats and brown sugar.  The palate is equally delightful, offering ripe blackberry and cherry flavors complemented by hints of chocolate.  The concentration on the palate is perfect, as are the acidity and balance.  The tannins are dense enough to give a little structure, but I wouldn’t complain with a little more tannin.  The finish is nice and long, and adds a touch of tobacco.  All told, this is an outstanding wine.

Wine: Quinta Cruz Pierce Ranch
Variety: Tempranillo
Vintage: 2009
Alcohol: 14.1%
Rating: 91
Price: $18.00

Find Quinta Cruz Pierce Ranch Tempranillo with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.

I can’t help but wonder how meaningful the “Meritage” name is to wine consumers.  I mean, I don’t hear many people saying, “I’d like a glass of Meritage.”  I suspect a lot of consumers don’t even know what it is.  In essence, Meritage is a name for Bordeaux-style wine that’s made somewhere other than Bordeaux.  You’re really not supposed to call a wine a Bordeaux if it’s not made there.  So some clever folks came up for another name for it, Meritage.  It’s actually a trademarked name, owned by the Meritage Alliance, and anyone who wants to create a Meritage wine needs to license the name.

The idea makes sense, creating a common name for this type of wine.  And I enjoy Bordeaux-style wines.  But I just haven’t noticed a groundswell of consumers clamoring for Meritage.  Maybe the awareness just isn’t there yet.  Or maybe I just run in the wrong circles.

By the way, Meritage is pronounced like “heritage” with an M instead of an H.  So, don’t try to get all fancy with your French accent and call it mare-i-tahhhzh.

The nose is a pleasant on this Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage, albeit rather unmoving, blend of blackberry, plum, cedar and vanilla aromas.  And while those are all aromas we love in red wines, I characterize it as “unmoving” because it’s just not harmonious, in other words, the right aromas are there, but there not optimally balanced.  The palate has plenty of cherry and plum flavors with moderate tannins and decent acidity.  And again, while it’s enjoyable, it’s not mind-blowingly good.  It finishes a bit on the tart side, with sour cherry flavors and a medium length.  This is a decent wine for the price, but nothing extraordinary.

What’s your take?  Are you a Meritage fanatic?

Wine: Robert Mondavi Private Selection
Variety: Meritage
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 83
Price: $11.00

Find Robert Mondavi Private Selection Meritage with Snooth

Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.