It might seem a bit cliche, but this week I’m going to take the pink-themed opportunity of Valentine’s Day to feature all things rosé. Unfortunately, some people still think that rosé is a simple wine just for the patio or cottage in the summer heat, but that couldn’t be more wrong. I mean, it CAN just be simple and easy but there are so many different grapes, regions, and styles of winemaking that comprise rosé that it’s impossible to generalize the whole category that way. But suffice it to say rosé is definitely not exclusively the cheap and cheerful category that many people think. Just consider how most Champagne houses’ Rosés cost more than their Brut. And that there are entire regions and appellations like (Tavel in France) that ONLY produce rosé. And it’s also' one of the best wild card food pairings when you’re in a bind. So this week we’re going to explore 5 different expressions of great rosé: Champagne, Crement D’Alsace, natural/unfiltered, dry French, and fruitier New World. They all have different terroirs and winemaking methods that produce excellent wines of great character.

As we’ve been doing since the beginning of this winter lockdown, I’ll be hosting another Saturday evening wine tasting at 7pm featuring these wines over Zoom. Saturday falls on February 13th, the day before Valentine’s Day, but Monday is Family Day, so you can still have your proper Valentine’s celebrations on Sunday night without needing to worry about work on Monday! Here’s how to participate:

1. Pick up any or all the bottles from the Byward Wine Market or order any that are available by the case from Lifford.
2. Send me an email letting me know which wine you have and that you’d like to join the Zoom, and on Saturday afternoon I’ll send you the link to join.
3. Here’s the link to all 5 wines if you want to purchase the bottles individually from the Byward Wine Market.

Sound good? See you Saturday at 7:00pm!
Now onto the wines….

This week’s rosés, waiting for you at the Byward Wine Market.

CHAMPAGNE BRUNO PAILLARD, ‘PREMIER CUVÉE’ ROSÉ NV
$109 per bottle from the Byward Wine Market, or $104.99 x6 from Lifford Wines
One of the best nods of legitimacy that this wine has ever received was when Jancis Robinson, long seen as the world’s top wine critic, served this wine years ago at her own wedding. That’s a mic drop, conversation ending, debate winner for many hypothetical conversations about quality. And certainly a fist bump for both Bruno Paillard as a producer, but also for rosé Champagne and rosé as categories in general. It’s no wonder that rosé Champagnes are more often the pricier selections in a sparkling wine producer’s portfolio, they usually are comprised in some part by Pinot Noir which is notoriously more difficult and time consuming to grow. They call it the heartbreak grape for a reason! I wrote about Bruno Paillard recently for the New Year’s Eve feature. Check out this link for more info on that history and his background. And this link for the tech sheet from the winery for their production and tasting notes. This is made mostly from Pinot Noir with a touch of Chardonnay to add some acidity and minerality to keep things vibrant while maintaining their famous elegance.

DOMAINE ZINCK, CREMENT D’ALSACE ROSÉ NV
$38 per bottle from the Byward Wine Market, sold out at Lifford
Just an hour train ride east of Champagne is the Alsace region of France. Here they are most famous for amazing Rieslings, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Gris, but also for a Champagne Method of sparkling called Cremant D’Alsace that uses Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and uniquely often focuses on Pinot Blanc. There are “Cremant” wines made all over France in various regions: Cremant de Jura, Cremant de Bourgogne, Cremant de Loire, etc. And they can all make exceptional sparkling wine at a fraction of the price of Champagne. Domaine Zinck, where Philippe, the 2nd generation grower and winemaker has taken over from his father Paul, turned the vineyard organic and biodynamic is reaching new heights in quality and accolades surpassing even his father Paul who put their name on the map. They’re definitely one of the most famous Cremant producers and this is an excellent example of traditional method sparkling rosé. Made from 100% Pinot Noir, without any white wine blended in.

GUT OGGAU, ‘WINIFRED’ ROSÉ | BURGENLAND, AUSTRIA
$60 per bottle from the Byward Wine Market, sold out at Lifford
This is sold out at Lifford and there’s just a dozen or so bottles left at the shop, but it’s definitely something special to try for those who come by or order online quick enough! Unless you’re a natural wine enthusiast, you’ve probably never had anything like this. It’s a blend of Blaufrankish and Zweigelt from a single vineyard with 35 year old vines. It’s aged for 8 months in old 500 and 1000 litre neutral oak barrels, then bottled unfiltered, unfined, and with zero sulphur addition. This is what we call a zero-zero wine: zero added, zero taken away. Fully natural wine. For more on the complex world of natural wine, check out this link for a primer. Gut Oggau makes some of the most sought after (and instagram-able) bottles in the wine world. Stephanie and Edouard are the impossibly adorable husband and wife team Stephanie and Eduoard behind the brand. They first started making wine together in 2007 after painstakingly restoring a 17th century winery that had been abandoned for 20 years. They began noticing that all their wines took distinct characteristics, almost like people and personalities. So they developed an idea where each wine was a member of a fictitious family with its own personality. They gave these names and profiles to an artist friend who drew all the family portraits. These would become the wine labels. No grape varieties, no blend information, just the family member’s face and their personality. Here is the family tree and various personalities. If you think this is a joke or any less serious of a winery, you should know some of the world’s top restaurants like Noma have been major clients of Gut Oggau for years. Really exemplary stuff, not only in the natural category, but for Austrian wine overall.

CAZAL VIEL, SYRAH ‘ROSÉ | SOUTH OF FRANCE 2019
$18 per bottle from the Byward Wine Market, or $15.99 x12 from Lifford Wines
The vines on this historic estate were first planted by the Romans before the collapse of their empire. Later they were cultivated by monks of Abbaye de Fontcaude dating as far back as the early 1200’s until the French Revolution. During the revolution, when clerical land became public the Miquel family then acquired the property and have been making wine there ever since. You may have had other amazing wines from Laurent Miquel, but this is the family’s most historic estate and it is famous for it’s renowned rosé. If you like the light, dry rosés from Provence, this is right up your alley. This estate is in the Languedoc, southern France on the Mediterranean just like Provence, but just a few hours further west. Think pale, light pink colour with hints of orange, and a dry crisp, mineral palate with notes of fresh crushed strawberries.

REDSTONE, ROSÉ | NIAGARA, ONTARIO 2019
$19 per bottle from the Byward Wine Market, or $16.95 x6 from Lifford Wines
A great local rosé from Niagara made up of 50% Cabernet Franc, 50% Merlot, 50% Syrah. Redstone is the sister property of Tawse Winery, both of which have won ‘Winery of the Year’ at the Canadian Wine Awards several times. This is a slightly fruitier style of rosé, more typical of a New World style. The wine is still dry and has a nice refreshing acidity, but leans more into pretty fruit notes like crushed strawberries, cranberries, and pink grapefruit than mineral or floral notes. A juicier crowd pleaser that makes an excellent pairing to any fruit based salads or charcuterie.

- - -

The Byward Wine Market remains open throughout the lockdown for take-out and wine shopping. We are constantly cleaning and have several ways to safely get you some amazing wine during the coming stay-home orders: You can stop by in person to pick out your wine for take-out, we can offer curbside pickup with online orders, or you can choose local delivery within Ottawa at the online checkout.

Just a reminder that the order deadline for Friday case delivery is Wednesday at 9:00am. Reach out if you have any questions, and check out the archive of past FEATURES if you’re interested in other recommendations. Lastly, please feel free to forward this to anyone in Ontario who may be interested in home wine delivery and follow us on Instagram for daily wine content at @bywardwinemarket and @capitalwine.ottawa!