WINE CLUB | CHEESE CLUB

Hooray for rosé! It’s one of our very favorite times of the year, and rosé is here to bring all the summer love. So this month, our line up is full of fun, unique, quaffable rosés steeping with color and personality.

Rosé wine is characterized by primary flavors of red fruit, flowers, citrus, and melon, with a refreshing green note reminiscent of celery or rhubarb on the finish. Unlike red wines that ferment for weeks on red grape skins, rosé acquires its color from brief contact with these skins, typically just a few hours. This process grants winemakers precise control over the wine's hue, which is crucial in achieving the desired balance. Almost any red wine grape can be used to make rosé, allowing for endless possibilities.

Cheers to summer! And don’t forget to chill the wine :)

The Halfseas Team

ALL CLUB MEMBERS GET TO ENJOY THESE 3 BOTTLES:

Corvezzo - Terre Di Marca Rosé NV

Grape: Raboso
Region: Veneto, Italy
Retail: $18

We’re aware of the unique quality of our vineyards and of the territory where they naturally grow.
This treasure has to be protected and preserved as a precious gift for the next generations.
For these reasons, we decided to become a 100% organic winery, a milestone in the journey towards our final goal: total sustainability. In Cessalto, a small village located just a few kilometres from Venice, the winemaking tradition has always been connected to the Corvezzo family and its commitment to the sustainable production of grapes and wines. In this unique area, naturally suited to viticulture, we created our first organic-certified project: Terre di Marca. Terre di Marca organic wines are the perfect choice for anyone who wants to toast and drink sustainably, aware that protecting nature starts from our simple and everyday gestures.

Drinking & pairing ideas: Fish tacos

2023 David Hill Estate Pinot Noir Le Rosé

Grape: Pinot Noir
Region: Willamette Valley, Oregon, USA
Retail: $26

This Estate Rosé has distinct minerality, with notes of bright strawberry, savory sweet honey dew, lime zest and subtle linden flower. The aromatics transfer beautifully to the palate, where initial tartness turns to bright grapefruit zest and kiwi. Salted honeydew shows through the finish of the wine, bringing weight on the palate that lingers.  

Passionate about cold climate winemaking, Chad Stock in 2019, joined the David Hill team to produce exceptional wines from some of the oldest vines in the Willamette Valley.

This Rosé was intentionally crafted each step of the way, using a 12 barrel Solera style system in the wine making process. This unique blending method, where a new vintage is added to older vintages, continually rotating barrels and vintages as fermentation takes place, is widely used in making Sherry. This wine utilizes vintages from 2018 to 2022, the maximum 3%, the allowable amount. The wine was aged in neutral French oak to give it a unique texture and put through malolactic fermentation to round out its finish yet maintain a refreshing acidity. It was direct to press, and unfiltered.

Drinking & pairing ideas: Salmon bake

2021 Viña Maitia ‘Aupa’ Pipeño Rosé

Grapes: 80% Pais & 20% Criolla Blanca (Pedro Ximénez)
Region: Valle de Maule, Chile
Retail: $18

David Marcel arrived to Chile fresh from France as a twenty-two year old winemaker looking for opportunity. After graduating with a wine degree from Montpelier, David worked for large wineries producing significant quantities of wine while simultaneously falling in love with his Chileño bride. David eventually decided to make his home in Chile, and two decades later, began producing wines primarily composed of Pais and Carignan from some of Chile’s most prized heritage old vines. David is a force and one of the most generous humans we have ever encountered. He is not only a strong voice for Viña Maitia, but he is also a tireless advocate for the artisan winemakers of Chile and continues to lead a path for his contemporaries, typically putting himself after others. David’s wines are understated, extremely drinkable wines of great value.

Drinking & pairing ideas: Jalapeño poppers (come on, live a little!)

6-BOTTLE MEMBERS ALSO GET TO ENJOY THESE 3 BOTTLES:

2022 Skouras 'Zoe' Rosé

Grapes: Agiorghitiko & Moscofilero
Region: Peloponnese, Greece
Retail: $18

Agiorgitiko (pronounced AYE-yor-YEE-tee-ko) means “St George’s Grape”, and is probably named by a chapel in Nemea. It is thought to be one of Greece’s oldest varieties, and has been historically associated with the demigod Heracles – Nemea wine is often called the “Blood of Heracles”.

Moschofilero (mow-sko-FEEL-err-oh), the lively and floral white-wine grape grown in the Peloponnese region of Mantinia, gained its moniker for good reason. Pink-skinned and aromatic, the grape’s expression is wide-ranging. Still white, rosé and sparkling wines offer flavors that span from light and delicate, to ripe and fun-loving, to exotic and spicy.

The philosophy permeating all of the Skouras Estate’s wines is reflected in the words:

Purity, Varietal clarity, Tracing of the region’s mesoclimate, Imprint of the terroir. George Skouras was born in Argos, one of the oldest towns of Europe with a 3,000 years long tradition of wine and culture. In 1980, George went to study Agriculture at the University of Dijon, in Burgundy, France. However, his acquaintance with the Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs of the region, as well as the famous local wine growers, put a spell on him. On graduating from Dijon with a degree in oenology, George started gathering experience in many classic wine-producing regions of France, Italy and Greece.

Drinking & pairing ideas: Pesto pasta

2023 Domaine Chateaumar - Perle de Rosé

Grapes: Grenache, Mouvedre
Region: Côtes du Rhône, France
Retail: $21

Slightly darker and more round than the classic Provence rosé, this is still a light, dry, easy-sipping rosé. macerated strawberries, raspberries, and peaches combine with a slightly peppery finish.

This wine, aged for 5 months in stainless steel tanks, originates from the historic Castel Chateaumar estate, with roots dating back to Roman times. For over three generations, the Souret Family has tended to the vineyards. With a delicate rose petal hue, it presents a captivating nose of fresh red and yellow fruits, including strawberries, raspberries, and peaches. On the palate, it exhibits a soft, rounded texture, with an elegant sweetness echoing the fruit aromas. Balanced by a good minerality, it culminates in a refreshingly lingering finish.

Drinking & pairing ideas: Charcuterie with friends

2023 Bodegas Latúe Tempranillo

Grape: 100% Tempranillo
Region: La Mancha, Spain
Retail: $21

This fresh and soft but still juicy and fruity wine is a welcome respite from the omnipresent overripe, over-extracted, sweet, and highly alcoholic La Mancha Tempranillo that’s become the standard these days. Its luminous Bing cherry color telegraphs the same fruit that dominates the clean and radiant nose, with forest fruit and tropical floral aromas lending additional complexity. Despite its gulpable body and texture, there’s solid structure here and a very long finish. Serve cellar temperature or even chilled a bit with pizza, burgers, or any everyday meal.

The legacy which the original 131 founding families from Villanueva de Alcardete consolidated in Bodegas Latúe, as the economic and social motor of the municipality, has been maintained from generation to generation, thanks to our effort, commitment and dedication.

Currently 450 families’ descendants of the founding members, represented by 630 associates with an average age of 55 years and an average estate size of 7 Hectares, constitute the soul of Bodegas Latúe.

Members and workers share work, effort and enthusiasm in the success of Bodegas Latúe, shaping a great family, the Latúe’s family.

Bodegas Latúe began as San Isidro Cooperative in 1954. At that time 131 winegrowers were determined to produce exceptional wines for consumption in Spain. Their commitment was demonstrated by maintaining regular attention to the vineyards and prioritizing quality, working as hard as necessary regardless of the weather or geopolitical conditions. With the increased demand for their products, more than 50 years of experience, and the growth of a great family team, in 2007 San Isidro implemented an export business model. This name represents the quality and environmental care that is a historical way of doing business with international companies: Bodegas Latúe is a point of reference in the wine sector. This is by no small measure a direct result of its experience producing certified organic and ecologically sound wines while exceeding the latest technical standards. 

Drinking & pairing ideas: Crab boil

Looking for past lineups? We got you.

REMINDERS

• As always, our food suggestions are just starting points. Wine is nostalgic and we’re big fans of making what you like, drinking what you like, and not giving a damn if they “go” together.

• Email us at info@halfseaswine.com to buy more single bottles or a 12-bottle case with special pricing.

• Wine pairs best with friends. Tell your friends.