Being that it was mid-summer, I was more than a little excited to have a rosé on deck for this week. The heat was settling into Dallas fiercely and a rosé was just what I needed to quench my thirst and cool me down. I was also excited to try this particular rosé, because Wine Awesomeness was advertising it quite a bit and even allowing mid-day deliveries of it in Manhattan. To tell the truth, I was pretty jealous I did not live in Manhattan this week.
After simply going through the Eikendal Vineyards website, I noticed how this vineyard was different than so many others. While the main focus of the company was on vines, the company had clearly tried to capitalize on its lands and product. There was a restaurant on site and several different tour options. They offered not just the usual winery tour, but actual experiences. From cellar tours to fly-fishing to vineyard walks there was more to do at this winery than any other I had come across. They also had an on-site restaurant, playground, and cheetah sanctuary.
Eikendal Vineyards was even into giving back to their community. With a cheetah sanctuary and a sponsor of the “Pebble Project,” Eikendal Vineyards recognized that even vineyards have social responsibilities. The cheetah sanctuary promoted education and preservation of cheetahs and the Pebble Project acted as an educational program for children in need.* It was safe to say that so far in my personal wine journey, I had not encountered a winery quite like this, but I hoped to discover more in the future.
This wine was from Western Cape, South Africa, and sampled on July 14, 2017. The wine smelled like papaya and frozen strawberries. It was chilled just right and my glass was quickly turning opaque in the heat. The color was the perfect pink shade for a rosé. The first thing I noticed was the mouth-puckering acidity. I was listening to “All My Friends” by LCD Soundsystem. The second sip brought forth a burst of lemon flavor. It was so refreshing that I didn’t want to put my glass down. I wondered if something could actually taste pink, but in the end I wished it had a tad more of a berry taste to it.
I gave this wine a rating of 4.5. It was a nearly perfect solution to a hot summer night. With a tad more berry taste it would have been perfect. Maybe I just needed the perfect food pairing though.
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