Karlo Estates Winery Gris Rosé 2011

Dale Schierbeck rated this wine as 88/100 with the following review:

Nothing quite says summer heat like a good rosé. It’s the wine I reach for when I’m hot and parched but still want wine. While I’d almost always prefer a good red, in the heat of the summer, when the ambient outdoor temperature will warm a glass of red before you get through a few sips, I will often look for a wine I can still chill. Yes, I love my beer with good barbecue, but a good rosé is an awesome wine to pair with many barbecued favourites like chicken, salmon, veggie kabobs. Use your imagination, but it’s a wine that generally likes a bit of char and a bit of sweet. In other words, it likes caramelization.

So here’s a winery in Karlo Estates which is certainly the favourite of my amazing friends and I when we visit Prince Edward County, a headland that juts out into Lake Ontario and Bay of Quinte. It is the one place our group always hits when we make our annual pilgrimage to the “County,” aka PEC. And, like the acronym sounds, it is like a peck on the cheek every time we visit. Everything about this winery is a joy to visit, from the building itself, to the people working there, to the property itself and the mortarless bridge that crowns the back-forty and adorns the wines’ label … and, of course, the wine itself.

Karlo Estates has a great many wines that I love, including some thick and very very rich reds that are special, indeed. But if votes counted, I don’t think there is a member of my group of friends that wouldn’t pick up at least one bottle of Karlo’s rosé. If you ever were looking for a crowd-pleaser of a wine, this is surely it. And at $16, it will fit into almost any budget.

Produced of the very hardy Frontenac-Gris, it’s a grape that doesn’t lend itself to being much ‘whiter’ than you see here. A taste of this rusty, almost strawberry-juice, looking wine is like drinking dessert. Like the label says: “The nose is strawberry-sweet with rhubarb, cherry and candy apple. The flavour is just as enticing, exuding flavours such as strawberry, citrus with a spicy finish and a hint of cinnamon.” Honestly, I can’t really disagree except to add that there is also some sweet watermelon in there as well.

Overall, the sweetness rounds out the middle of the taste with a refreshing, mouth cleansing finish which makes this perfect for your deck, cottage, or bocce ball with friends. Just be careful you have enough for everyone.

Joe Hache Prince Edward Count rated this wine as 89/100 with the following review:

The nose is strawberry-sweet with rhubarb, cherry and candy apple.

When sipping it feels like a mouthful of strawberries and then seems to dry quickly as it goes down the throat.

We have served this with a variety of dishes over the summer but is great on it's own on the patio!