Portlandia Sparkling Rosé
Columbia Valley, Washington
If you’ve attended one of my classes or wine tastings in the past, chances are you’ve heard me talk about how much I adore rosé. It’s not only because it’s delicious, which it is. It’s also because I believe rosé to be the most versatile broad category of wines to pair with food.
When it comes to pairing wine with food, there are a couple of key structural components that make a bottle play well with different flavors. At the top of that list is acidity. If you’ve ever added a spray of freshly squeezed lemon over the top of just about any dish, you know what acid can do for flavor enhancement. Most rosés are made in a style high in acid and relatively low in alcohol. This combination along with the fruity flavor profile makes for nearly limitless food pairing potential.
This wine, of course, is a sparkling version of rosé. The bubbles and complexity found beneath the cork take the above possibilities to yet another level. High-quality sparkling wines are known for their mouthwatering acid structure and long finish. I’m pleased to report that this one is no exception.
A new release from Portlandia Vintners, this wine easily exceeded my expectations. Particularly when I realized it’s available at just under $20 a bottle. Over the past several years, I’ve become familiar with the collection from this Willamette Valley-based winery. Their Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, and still rosé are all tasty, consistent wines made in styles one can enjoy on a nightly basis. The new bubbly options are an excellent addition to their collection!
To create this sparkling project, the company ventured outside of Oregon to source fruit from Washington State’s Columbia Valley. The area is well-known for its sunny weather, apple orchards, cherries, and thriving vineyards. Not to mention, grapes are available at quality levels to rival top California vineyards but at a significantly lower price point which has been passed on to us consumers by the winery.
One grape in particular that always stands out to me in Washington is Syrah. This dark-skinned grape known best for producing the remarkable red wines of France’s Rhône Valley also makes frequent appearances in French rosé production. Widely considered a more robust option for making pink wines, the flavors imparted by the grape are typically those of white pepper, cherry, and lime leaf.
To create the first release of Portlandia Sparkling Rosé, the winemaking team chose to work with Syrah. This variety brings depth, complexity, and a mouthfeel that made me do a double take the first time I tried it. To say the least, the wine punches above its $20 price point.
The wine is made using the same labor-intensive production technique used to make the finest Champagne. The fruit is harvested early in the season while the natural acids are high and the sugars are relatively low. The juice is first fermented into a still base wine. From there, the wine is bottled and a solution of yeast and sugar is added which induces a second fermentation inside each bottle. When the yeast converts the sugars into alcohol, the bubbles created during the process are captured in the bottle.
The wine rests in the bottle for a period of time during which the dead yeast cells rendered by the fermentation impart the notes of brioche that make sparkling wines produced this way so much delicious flavor and complexity.
In the case of this particular bottle, the wine rested en tirage (in bottle) all of 12 months before the bottle was inverted and the lees and other sediment were removed by freezing the neck of the bottle and ejecting the solids. From there, a dosage, a small amount of sugar was added to achieve the Brut style of this wine.
On the palate, you’ll taste notes of bright berry fruit, citrus, and a slightly creamy flavor and texture. If you love bubbles and tend to get stuck in a “Prosecco rut”, you ought to give this one a try!
Also, check out my review of the Portlandia Brut Blanc de Blancs!
Wine Features
100% Syrah
Méthode Champenoise
Labels printed on 100% recycled Kraft stock paper
5,000 cases produced annually
12% alcohol
$15 - $20
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A handful of simple ingredients come together to create one of the most versatile pairings possible that works with just about any dry wine. Why? You’ve got the umami flavors of the mushrooms and the salty herbal flavors of the cheese and sage all atop flavorful, perfectly toasted French bread. It’s all the most food-friendly flavors rolled up into one decadent bite!