Photos by @laylamays photography
Imagine sitting at a cafe under the bright sun,warm breezes gently blowing through your hair and a faint smell of lavender drifts past your nose and bunches of brilliant yellow sunflowers are for sale at the flower cart near you. And, every bite of freshly baked bread, creamy brie and charcuterie is savored and enjoyed with a cool glass of crisp, Malene rose’.
Your glass is filled with fresh notes and delicate aromas of zesty strawberry, raspberry and a hint of dried flowers and herbs. The wine is dry, crystal clear, watermelon pink and filled with notes of elegant flavors and aromas and a delicate mineral-like finish.
Where are you?
Provence, the rose’ wine region in France? Would you guess California Coast?
On a very hot day earlier this spring at the 2018 Austin Food + Wine Festival, I had the pleasure of relaxing in the shiny silver Airstream wine trailer, sipping on Malene Rose’ and having a lovely conversation about wine with Fintan Du Fresne, General Manager and Winemaker,the artist behind the wines.
Fin has dedicated his artisan skills in winemaking with true intent on creating the only brand specifically creating rose’ in the New World with Old World finesse and characteristics that are traditionally found in the King of Rose’ region, Provence, France. Malene Winery is located in the Central Coast California wine country regions of Santa Barbara and Paso Robles.
No one does it with such pure intent as Fin.
The winery is dedicated to creating only rose’. The wines are elegant and gorgeous expressions of the grapes from which they are made. Just as in Provence, traditional Rosé grape varietals are used to make these delightful wines: Grenache, Cinsault, Rolle (Vermentino), Mourvedre, Syrah and Counoise with finesse and refinement not easily found in New World wine-making.
Pairings
The versatility of food pairings is almost endless with Malene Rose’. The fruit intensity and clean, crisp finish are perfect pairings with oysters, seafood, grilled chicken, beef and pork including BBQ-YES BBQ, fresh summer vegetable dishes including summer pasta dishes with the bounty of tomatoes and of course….paella!
Fin also shared Chamisal, which is lovely expression of an elegant Burgundian-style stainless fermented Chardonnay carefully crafted from the Chamisal Vineyards located in San Luis Obispo, California. This Chardonnay is reminiscent of the slightly warmer region of Burgundy with delicate tropical fruits of pineapple, ripe lemon peel and juicy pear being supported by the clean, crisp acidity without the presence of oak to mask the fresh fruit on the palate.
Two more rose’s were released after the success of Malene and I had the pleasure of sampling both! One is the Bandol-Style Rose’ from the Mourvedre varietal and the other, an old vine Grenache’ made from 44 year old vines creates yet another distinctive rose’ for us to enjoy.
Grab a glass of Rose’ on tap while visiting the Chamisal winery. The 1969 Airstream Overlander Trailer was refurbished and customized for Malene and is open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Check for details at the winery’s website.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to buy a bottle of Malene Rose’ in your area for around $18.00 OR you can join the wine club and get it for $15.30. Check out all the wines you can get when you join! You are in for a treat.
