On June 11, to celebrate Rose’ Day, seven wineries came together on the patio at Iris Vineyard to pour their finest roses’ It’s June, isn’t it? Shouldn’t we be drinking refreshing white and rose’ wines on the deck? Shouldn’t the sun be out? Shouldn’t we be warm? Well, this IS Oregon and there’s never a sure thing when it comes to the weather.
A Day of Rose
Iris hosted JScott Cellars, Sweet Cheeks, Sylvan Ridge, Sarver, Bennett and William Rose on what should have been a beautiful sunny afternoon. Instead, it was windy and cold but that didn’t stop hundreds of people from coming to Iris to begin the summer with a wine celebration.
We were able to snag a table, or at least a portion of a table because of Neal’s obsession with being early, this time it paid off. We shared the table with our friends Mark and Debra and a couple who didn’t stay long who left us with room for six. We started as a group of four and quickly grew into a much larger group when we spotted friends we knew from many different parts of our lives. Trying to stay warm, we were wrapped in blankets, sharing brick oven pizzas and, of course, tasting wine.
Iris Vineyard’s winemaker and the even host
According to WineFolly.com, “Rosé happens when the skins of red grapes touch wine for only a short time. Where some red wines ferment for weeks at a time on red grape skins, rosé wines are stained red for just a few hours. The winemaker has complete control over the color of the wine, and removes the red grape skins when the wine reaches the perfect color. As you can imagine, nearly any red wine grape (from Cabernet Sauvignon to Syrah) can be used to make rosé wine, however there are several common styles and grapes that are preferred for rosé.” Most of the wines being poured at this event were made from Oregon Pinot Noir grapes, with one very clear exception. Sylvan Ridge has a unique Rose’ made from Malbec grapes. While the Pinot Rose’s all had the taste of summer, with notes of refreshing summer fruit, the Malbec pinot reminded this taster of butterscotch and almonds. A
Among our group, there were some thumbs up and some thumbs down for the Malbec. The favorite for just about everyone was the Pinot Rose’ from Sarver. It had bright notes of watermelon wild flowers, perfect for a warm summer evening!
Sweet Cheeks Rose ranging from dry to sweet
J Scott Cellars Dry and Sweet Rose’
Bennett Rose’
Sylvan Ridge Pinot and Malbec Rose’
This first annual event was a huge success, bringing together wonderful wineries and their fans to enjoy a day of tasting in a beautiful setting. I hope this will become an event that grows and grows, adding both wineries and guests to an already successful day.
Cheers to all the wineries that participated and to Iris Vineyard for hosting!