A few weeks back the great folks at Halter Ranch winery reached out with a challenge – they wanted to give a committed red vino oenophile a bottle of rosé. Can you believe the moxie?
To be honest, I had my doubts. I grew up watching my grandparents drink rosé – which back in the dark ages of wine was basically an alcohol infused Kool-Aide beverage.
As is my practice with every bottle of wine sent by producers to review, I cracked open the 2011 Halter Ranch Rosé with a great group who would be able to provide an unbiased review of the wine.
In this case, I tempted my in-laws on a hot summer evening with the nicely chilled 2011 and waited for the reviews to roll in. The results were unanimous – this was not the rosé they were expecting – it was light and crisp and offered just the right pop to remind you that you were drinking a summer red.
The Halter Ranch offers a really enjoyable blend of largely Grenache and Syrah grapes that combine to offer an unmistakable raspberry finish. This is a really fun wine to spring on your summer BBQ or other outdoor gathering of friends who may have thought that the arrival of a hot summer evening also heralded the end of red wine. I think this bottle is best served extremely cold (i.e. not the typical temperature for say, a chardonnay. This should be served fresh from the refrigerator cold).
The two terms that kept getting tossed out by the half dozen imbibers to describe the chilled rosé of vino swirling around their glasses in the hot desert temperature of a May evening in Palm Springs were “fresh” and “crisp” – the perfect happy hour companion on a hot desert evening.
Cheers!
The Cork Scrooge 
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