In honor of the 75 degree day today in NYC, I have a new and different rosé to kick off the spring season!  This 2014 Grenache rosé is a pétillant (Pet Nat for short), meaning “naturally sparkling”.  This method was a precursor to Champagne and quite possibly was born out of ignorance.  Basically wine is capped before fermentation is entirely complete, leaving a wine with soft bubbles and a sometimes cloudy appearance.  These wines often have a tiny bit of residual sugar as the yeasts die off before they are able to convert all the sugar to alcohol.  Find a good one and it’s the perfect balance of fruity, off-dry, and thirst-quenching.

Division Wine Company is based in Portland, Oregon and makes a wide range of wines.  Gamine, by definition, means girl with mischievous charm, a fitting description for this charming and mischievous wine!  The grapes were pressed after 6 hours of skin contact, giving the wine the perfect blush color.  The nose was full of fruit:  strawberries and melon.  The palette had a nice acidity, more fruit, and a soft effervescence that had me reaching for another sip.

This is what all the cool-kid somms are drinking these days, you’ll be sure to impress your wine-geek friends if you bring a bottle to your next soiree!

Wine:  2014 Division Gamine Grenache Rosé Pétillant

Purchased:  Backlabel Wines

Price:  $30