2018 Band of Roses Washington State Rose

Happy Tuesday!  I know this is a confluence of events with Cinco de Mayo happening on Taco Tuesday, but I've decided to go in a completely different direction tonight.  As it happens during a lockdown, I've decided to host a virtual wine tasting with a bunch of my work colleagues tomorrow night and I've decided to go with a sneak preview of one of the wines tonight.  The 2018 Band of Roses Washington State rose is a nice, irreverent wine from Charles Smith, which is one of the larger producers in Washington that has gained nationwide distribution.  The wines are very well priced and I know that no matter where I pick one up, the quality to value proposition almost always favors us consumers.  So let's see how this one tastes.

The wine is a very soft peach color in the glass, almost like a Chardonnay, but still clearly rose.  The nose is a wonderful cascade of tropical fruit, pineapple, mango, honeydew and citrus that seems as refreshing as s bright summer day.  The taste is a rush of citrus, strawberry and melon, with just a hint of minerality.  The tannins are somewhat soft, but unyielding, with subdued acidity providing for a wonderfully crisp, dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's just a pleasant drinking summer rose, that I could see myself sipping on the patio, if it wasn't cloudy and 47 degrees (where are you spring!?!?).  This wine would pair with summer barbecue, burgers, or salads, but tonight I am going in another direction.  I am enjoying this wine with a recipe I found randomly on twitter (!) for chicken paprikash, a Hungarian chicken dish simmered in paprika and finished with sour cream to make a lovely sauce, served with a bit of jasmine rice.  Cheers!