Rose just not so good, what would you do?

[NorCal]

I made a few bottles with the muscat blend to give it around 1% residual sugar. It was well received at the barn where we board a horse.


However, @4score went over the top with getting reviews. Thank you!

 

[Snafflebit]

Great video! Takes me back to my softball days. The combination of malic acid and a little RS will taste like apple.

 

[user 38734]

Excellent post! More video please!

Even with suboptimal fruit, the additional fraction of sweetness accentuated it's qualities. "Approachable" - perfect description.

I make 4 cases a year from premium grapes, always add a tiny bit of RS from either simple syrup or a sweet white, and must ration how much I serve to have any left for labor day. I'll be making 6 cases a year going forward.

 

[Boatboy24]

Great video, @4score

Glad the tweaks appear to be working.

 

[winemaker81]

I love the solution! And the video!

 

[David Lewis]

There's a good idea. A sweetened, sparkling rose is perfect for warm summer days and/or as an appetizer wine. Some prosciutto, salami, aged cheese and a bit of bubbly.

I was thinking this exactly.... I've started to play with more fruit wines and ciders while I have the time. Its interesting what a little sugar and some bubbles do to a pretty underwhelming wine. And if you get really creative you can backsweeten it with vanilla or pistachio to give it a fun little kick. It may never be the wine that you intended it to be.. but it can still be fun in the sun.

and yes, I realize that I am way late to the game on this one after going through all the comments ;-) The video says it all, nicely done.

 

[Glidewaves]

Just a noob here when it comes to winemaking but I work for an importer of some of the finest rosè out of France and have tasted hundreds of them. I agree that blending is the way to go. It sounds to me like you'd benefit from blending a more aromatic varietal such as Viognier to lift up the other flavors as opposed to something sweet. Playing with sugar when it's not natural is like playing with fire IMO. I love your video.

 

[NorCal]

We did another tasting and decided blending was the way to go and stuck with the muscat blend % that we trialed. I racked all the Rose, into a brute, blended, SO2’d and put back into the carboys. I’ll let it sit for a few weeks and then bring it in the house for a while to see if I have any fermentation going on, to give me some confidence (not absolute) I won’t have issues later.

 

[NorCal]

It was a bit warm last night and I brought a few bottles of my wine to a community socially distanced meeting. There were two local commercial wines, my rose and my cab franc blend (best wine I’ve made to date IMO).
The wine that went first and people couldn’t stop talking about....the rose. Go figure. It’s not my cup of tea and I was worried I’d have it laying around for years, but it looks like I will be bringing it to gatherings as we start to open up and it will be enjoyed by others.

 

[winemaker81]

The wine that went first and people couldn’t stop talking about....the rose.

Call it a win and bask in the glory!

All jokes aside, I'm happy for you that you found an audience that appreciates the wine.

 

[sjjan]

I made a few bottles with the muscat blend to give it around 1% residual sugar. It was well received at the barn where we board a horse.
View attachment 70584

However, @4score went over the top with getting reviews. Thank you!

So nice to see the video where people actually comment on your wine! Wish I could taste some for real. Looks from my perspective here in Europe a bit strange to see wine poured into plastic glasses. What did you use to add the 1% residual sugar? Some sweet concentrated grape juice?

 

[joeswine]

Ok here's mt 2 cents, only if it were mine I'd saute 1 lb of strawberries then add simple syrup and blend them into the wine.making provisions that fermentation doesn't start again you'll add taste and structure to the wine Rose' are normally thin to med body , time to think outside the Box

 

[user 38734]

Awesome - but totally not surprised that the Rose' was a hit. I've learned there is a place for approachable, socially appealing wines as well as the ABV / extract monsters preferred by connoisseurs. I personally now make all my wines for the friends and family who drink them, which means the lighter side. When I want a fruit bomb, I have plenty of access elsewhere.