Two Texas Rose’ Wines Take Top Medals
It’s that time of year. Actually – that time of year is year-round in Texas and that’s rosé season. Texas makes delicious rosé wines from the traditional Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvèdre grapes as well as from other red grapes that do well in Texas including Sangiovese, Tannat, Tempranillo and Malbec, to name a few.
Two Texas rosé wines won top medals at recent competitions. Wedding Oak Winery brought home a Double Gold and 97-point score for its 2021 Castanet rosé at the 2022 Experience Rosé Wine Competition. Made from Cinsault grapes, the Castanet has notes of strawberry, grapefruit and peaches. You can get this wine at Wedding Oak Winery tasting rooms in Burnet, Fredericksburg and San Saba, and online.
Sandy Road Vineyards’ 2021 Estate Sangiovese Rosé won gold at the 2022 Drink Pink Vino International Rosé Wine Competition. Made from Sangiovese (Brunello clone) from the estate vineyard, the Sandy Road rosé has notes of strawberry, cherry and red apple. Sure to sell out from this small, family-owned boutique winery, get this wine while you can from the winery or online.
Here are some other Texas rosé wines I’ve enjoyed recently.
Rancho Loma Vineyards, with tasting rooms in Coleman and Fort Worth, makes a stunning 2020 RLV Cinsault Rosé with notes of strawberry, raspberry, mango, melon and grapefruit. This wine won double gold at the 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and gold at the 2021 TEXSOM competition.
Slate Theory Winery’s 2020 Cinsault Rosé is bright with notes of strawberry, raspberry and cranberry. Grab a glass as you stroll through its stunning two-story underground cellar and wine cave, tasting room and outdoor patio. This wine won Gold / Reserve Texas Class Champion at the 2022 Houston Rodeo Uncorked! competition.
Ron Yates’ 2021 Grenache Rosé has bright, delicious strawberry and raspberry notes, with a hint of lemon. Ron Yates, the sister winery of Spicewood Vineyards, also makes Grenache and Mencia pet-nats, two fun sparkling wines for summer.
Pedernales Cellars has several rosé wines, including the Kyla Pét-Nat Rosé made from Tempranillo that I’ve written about previously. Its 2021 Over the Moon Rosé (blend of primarily Grenache and Cinsault) is always a favorite, not only for its notes of peach, apricot and pear, but also because of how this wine got its name. It honors the love story of the family’s parents, Larry and Jeanine Kuhlken, who met while working for NASA on the Apollo 11 mission. How cool is that?
Grape Creek Vineyards’ 2020 Rosé of Malbec, the fifth anniversary of this wine, offers fresh fruit notes of cherry and raspberry. With a beautiful, Tuscan-inspired tasting room, Grape Creek owns Health Sparkling Wines and also recently launched Jenblossom Cellars (named after owner Jennifer Heath), focused on exclusive, AVA-driven red wines.
While you can find some Texas rosés in your favorite wine stores, many of these wines are only available at the winery so plan a visit to Texas Wine Country and pick up a few bottles.
Denise Clarke is an avid wine enthusiast who loves sharing and teaching people about wine. She is a Certified Wine Educator, Certified Sommelier, WSET Advanced graduate and an expert on Texas wine. Owner of Denise Clarke PR, she currently represents Texas Fine Wine and the Texas Department of Agriculture’s Wine Marketing Program. She has lived in Austin for more than 30 years and when she is not swirling and sipping wine, she can be found on her bike, climbing every hill she can find.
Follow Denise on IG at @deniseclarkeTX for more wine recommendations.
