Sandhill Rosé 2018: a wine with eye appeal

Photo:  Sandhill winemaker Sandy Leier

More rosé wines than ever before are being produced by British Columbia wineries. Consumers obviously agree that is a good thing because these are affordable, easy to drink, refreshing and versatile wines.

The Sandhill 2018 Rosé is a poster child for what is going so right with rosé.

At most wineries, rosé is no longer an afterthought in the cellar. These are now purposeful wines that start with quality grapes that are fermented with care. As this was handled by Sandy Leier, the Sandhill winemaker.

The Sandhill Rosé is 83% Gamay Noir and 17% Merlot. When the grapes arrived at the winery, they were pressed gently. The juice was divided into two batches. The first was separated from the skins immediately and sent to a stainless steel tank for fermentation. The second batch remained on the skins long enough to pick up colour and texture.

Then the batches were combined and fermented cool with a yeast that accentuated the aromatics. After fermentation, the wine was aged a few months in steel before being bottled.

The wine was finished dry, with the 7.2 grams of residual sugar balanced 5.9 grams of acid. The alcohol is 13.1% but it does not stick out because the wine is so harmonious and balanced.

Here is my note on the wine, which is widely available.

Sandhill Rosé 2018 ($19.99 for 1,878 cases). The wine has “sex appeal” in its special clear bowling pin-shaped bottle which shows off the appetizing delicate pink hue. It begins with aromas of strawberry and crab apple, leading to flavours of strawberry, raspberry, pink grapefruit and pomegranate. It is crisp and refreshing, with a lingering finish. 90.