The story behind the selection of this wine is pretty much a non-story. It goes as follows: One weekend, I was in one of the branches of Cambridge Wine Merchants; the branch affectionately known as BS. (Much hilarity ensues.) I picked up one wine I was planning on buying. It will probably show up sooner or later here, but the friend I want to have it with I won’t see until July (call her TE). So I then spent what seemed to be an inordinate amount of time browsing the shelves. I couldn’t find something that felt I could afford at the moment (TE has expensive tastes, sometimes) that I also felt like drinking. I couldn’t find anything. Finally, I saw this on the shelf. I had never had a fizzy Malbec before, at least that I can remember, so that decided this would be the wine.
In the glass
Salmon. Bright and clear. Lots of fine, persistent bubbles, but the mousse quickly dissipates. As I keep looking at it, I decide it isn’t quite salmon. Maybe pink? Or: you know those orange, foam peanuts in the pick-n-mix, or at fairs? The disgusting ones?
Well, it looks nothing like that, yet that it is what I keep thinking of. I don’t know why.
Maybe I’m just odd.
There’s a faint noise of the bubbles breaking the surface, if you listen closely. It sounds almost, like… well, sparkling wine bubbles breaking the surface. It you listen closely, it sounds like very, very small, posh rice krispies having a party.
The nose
Smells sweet. Red. Strawberries? If there was something like a cross between a strawberry and stone fruits, I’d add that to the mix. There doesn’t seem to be, so I take it back out.
The palate
Light, dry, fizzy. But not massively fizzy. Almost more frizzante than full-on sparkling.
The finish is a bit sour. Cranberry, perhaps? Maybe rhubarb? Part of my brain says ‘grapefruit!,’ but I don’t listen. It is just that whenever my brain comes across a sour finish that I’m not sure I completely enjoy, it says ‘grapefruit.’
It’s fresh, with nice acidity, and a good balance to the components. It has definite red fruits. Almost but not quite sour cherries. I’m not picking up any dark fruits.
To be honest, if I hadn’t read the label, I doubt I would have taken this to be a Malbec wine, even accounting for it being a rosé, so less skin contact. I like to think I would have recognised it wasn’t Pinot Noir, or Pinot Meunier, the classic Champagne red grapes, but maybe I’m giving myself too much credit.
It paired decently with dinner, which was venison meatballs in a lingonberry sauce, over spaetzle.
Rating
Pretty on the Visuals. Yummy overall. It needs more people. Many fizzes I’m happy to drink on my own. This one, I think, would be better in company. Technically, if I were doing the whole wine industry / WSET thing, this would be a Very Good wine. But I’m not playing that game here, so I’m going Yummy.
Sustainability
They pursue sustainability in broad sense, which I like. I mean, they talk about the social and economic aspects of sustainability, not just vineyard stuff.
The technical info and such
13% ABV. 100% Malbec.
£19.99 from Cambridge Wine Merchants.