I was recently asked “why Cinsault?”

My response reflected the competing forces of complexity, planning, and random good luck that goes into wine making.

To explain, let me provide a little general information about the varietal. 

Cinsault is considered one of the “minor” grapes form the Southern Rhone region of France.  It is generally used for Rosé production, but also often blended into red with Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, aka the major players, to provide freshness and lift to the wine, as well as floral and fruity aromatics.  It has become a more prominent grape in rosé production because it can harvest early, holds onto acidity while still fruity—some have called it an acid candy. In fairness those are the primary characteristics, but there is more to this grape than that.

I like the fresh red raspberry, strawberry, and cherry flavors, peach and a hint of smoke, the light floral, violet, and the touch of spice on the finish. It is light to medium in body with low tannins and medium plus acidity.  Like Gamay and Pinot Noir, the grape is fruity, so acid is there, but not so notable on the palate.  All of this paired with alcohol levels around 12%, makes this and ideal blending grape for the Rhone style blend that I want to make; or so I thought. 

Last year, I got 1 ton of Cinsault from Yolo County, which is about an hour east of St. Helena over the Lake Berryessa pass.  The agricultural area out there is arid and hot, but the soil has excellent drainage, and the conditions are good for a grape like Cinsault that is drought resistant, adapts to any soil, and thrives in heat.  Steve Metthiasson very gerously turned me on to some Cinsault at JDM Organics, formerly known as Windmill Farm,  where Sergio farms meticulously, organically, and is working on biodynamic certification.  The grapes are, simply put, beautiful. 

I put them on the sorting table just to watch them dance by, pulling out a leaf or two, but otherwise wondering why I added that step at all.

I did a whole cluster, cold fermentation, and the wine came of out fresh, light, and fruity with a balance of acidity that was present and playful without inhibiting the pleasant drinkability of the wine.  In January, when I was making decisions about racking and blending, I tasted it, and to my great surprise, the wine tasted great.  I could not help imagining that it would be nice by itself, with a chill on a warm summer afternoon. This is a beach wine, I thought! As luck would have it, my friend, Bruce Regalia had some glass to unload. what? Free glass? I can’t turn that down! But, these are red wine bottles, whatever would I bottle now??? Well, you can see how the randomness of winery work, sometimes present us with an opportunity.

I reserved one barrel for the blends that remained in oak for 6 more months, and bottled 40 cases of 100% Cinsault. 

There are others that do this grape well.  My friends Thenis Kruger at Fram, in South Africa, makes a Cinsault that is also light on its feet and has a wonderful brightness and fruity softness.  Also from South Africa, Tremayne Smith makes a 100% Cinsault that ironically has a skull and crossbones on the label, but is the most friendly and unassuming wine.   All of these are great chilled, so they meet the “red wine” drinker and the “white wine” drinker at a peaceful center—something we should all be aiming at!

What I love about these wines is the easy approachability that usually is reserved for whites or rosé.  They are sippable, cocktail reds. Enjoy them with some light, fresh cheeses and charcuterie while you relax on the beach or while cooking with friends.  They are to wine what an amuse bouche is to the meal!

Cheers, Maria

As most of you know, I am in California for the harvest. Many of you have heard about my wine making work, but many more have asked what it is that I do when I am out here, so each week, I will document for you the process. While there is a crew at the winery, who often help me, I am doing this work myself—it is rewarding, and stressful, fun, and exhausting! I am learning everyday and am excited to share it with you. I hope this will give you a sense of how much work and love goes into each bottle of wine that you enjoy.

First, I must stress, this is only my process. There are endless ways to make wine. I am learning that if you ask twelve winemakers how to do any step in the process, you will likely get eighteen different answers and all with the caveat that “it depends.” This has been my life lesson!

This week, I am completing bottling of the reds from last year. Bottling is by far the most stressful and the least fun. There are so many moving pieces and far too many opportunities for my lack of experience and even greater deficiency in organization to cause problems. That said, I am getting through it. Why bottling now, so close to harvest? Well, I need the barrels, for one, so I have no choice, but also, it is time to share the wine with all of you. (That is the whole point of making it, right?!) It is ready to go into the bottle. That said, there are several decisions before the wine finally rests in the bottle that you buy in the store—filter or not? maybe a little? add SO2 to protect the wine? cork or screw cap or maybe a fabulous glass closure? what shape bottle? how heavy? antique green or brown for reds, flint for whites and pinks? Blend or single varietal? foil? should I put the name on the cork? And, then the label design, size, and the name? Are you starting to get a sense of the stress?

I thought making the wine was challenging enough, but packaging it is overwhelming. I sat in the office with the director of production at the winery, a bit slumped over at the end of a hard day, and I turned to Jay and said with the deepest sincerity, “There are days when this is all super exciting; and, then, there’s bottling.”

Ok, still, I love it, so as I sit here writing about the last week, I am smiling, despite six hours of standing on the bottling line putting a foil on every bottle that went by, feeling a lot like Laverne and Shirley! (Those two gals inspire me still!) Tomorrow the final bottling of 2023 wines will be done, boxes packed and marked, pallets stacked, and one big pallet of reds will head off to Rhode Island. I will exhale, and start thinking about how to make the Picpoul, which will be picked and coming in early next week! Yes, please let the harvest begin!

So far the grapes are looking great. I have visited the Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah at Wild Diamond, the Cinault and the Picpoul at JDM Organics, and the Carneros Pinot Noir. The fruit is about a week to ten days ahead of last year, acids seem higher to me—will keep you posted on the test results—and the flavors are already very promising. This is the fun part!

Stay tuned for more, but in the meantime,

follow my journey on IG @tipsyrosewines.com!