We’re OBSESSED With This Trio from The Vice Wine
(Disclosure: we received three wines to try and review from The Vice Wine. We only write about wines we really like, so you can trust this review)
We love seasonal eating and drinking here at couch + cork, relying on what's fresh and then pairing our wines appropriately. The weather guides this, too, with cozier, heartier meals in the colder times and more frequent, lighter, snackier bites in the warmer.
That means we are usually embracing root vegetables and bolder red while in the winter, and lots of veggie-loaded salads and crisp white wines in the summer.
But MARCH?! March is always weird in southern Vermont. Besides coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb, we've got everything in between. On the 14th, here in southern Vermont, it was 70° and sunny with clear-blue skies but most of the days have been cold and windy with dim gray skies, rain and even flurries. In April, so far, we had a massive storm, leaving tons of downed trees in its wake.
Enter, a selection of three The Vice Wine wines that we've been keeping on hand perfect for whatever the weather and our kitchens throw at us.
Variety: The Spice of Life from The Vice!
We were recently offered a PR shipment from our friends at Prestige PR. They wanted to send a new release from The Vice Wine and asked if there was anything else we wanted from their collection.
Being the weirdest time of the year, we figured we'd ask for some variety so in addition to the rosé they were sending, we requested their orange of Viognier and a Cab Sauv. Here's our tasting notes, pairing recs and review of these three bottles. You can find them at the provided links but you should also explore their other offerings!
Fun fact, these tasting notes come from Nancy along with her friend, Greg, who isn’t a wine person other than he loves tasting and learning.
“Miami Vices” Rosé of Pinot Noir
Rosé is made with red wine grapes. Traditionally, these grapes make red wine and the skins stay in contact for a long time, giving the wines their color and tannins. Rosé, though, is made like white wine, with the red grape skins pulled out much earlier in the process leaving less color and little to no tannins.
While Provençal rosé is ubiquitous, and we love it, at couch + cork we usually lean toward "chewier" rosés, ones with more skin contact and a little residual sugar. These heavier rosés work any time of year, whereas the lighter ones are our go-tos in the Spring and Summer.
Rosé always has notes of red berries and citrus, but with longer skin contact other flavors can come through, making them really interesting. Miami Vices is a great example of a rosé that meets this benchmark.
Tasting Notes: Ripe red berries, citrus and some melon rind on the nose. Also a distinct note of red, candied fruit on the nose, which was delightful and really striking with the sharp cut of citrus and roundness of melon adding to the textured nose. Crisp and dry on the palate with citrus pith keeping it fresh.
Review: Greg said “Perfect for summer!” and “that ended well!” - he really loved the finish. “This warms me up.” He was besotted.
Nancy’s review said, “A delightfully aggressive rosé. More complex than I gave it credit for at first sniff. Love the citrus notes mixed with bitter pith and bright red berries. Perfect any time of year.”
Biggest Impression: Both of us were delighted and surprised. So often rosé can be a let down. This is not one of those rosés.
How to Pair: We loved this with Vermont Cheddar on a cracker with some raspberry spread. The Vice Wine rosé really played up the fruity, nutty notes in the cheese and is officially our go-to pairing of summer gatherings. We tried it with one of our fav cheeses, the Champlain Valley Creamery Organic Champlain Triple and it was not a good pairing… stay tuned for how to pair that delish cheese.
Pickle Ball Orange of Viognier
One of the things we love about orange wine (and everyone knows we L O V E orange wine!) is its versatility.
If you're not familiar with it, orange wine is wine made from white wine grapes. Instead of removing the skins very early in the process, like with traditional white wines, the skins are kept in contact with the juice, allowing the wine to develop a beautiful hue ranging from gold to amber. The extended skin contact means that orange wines, unlike white wines made from the same grapes, often have tannins.
These wines come in still and sparkling, dry and sweet, filtered and unfiltered. While they retain the characteristics of their white counterparts, there's always something new and unexpected from the extended skin contact.
Personally, our favorite orange wines are those made from aromatic grapes so this Pickle Ball Viognier (an aromatic grape) had us very excited. Aromatic wines pair well with foods and flavors we enjoy year-round which means we're always happy when we discover new ones.
We were particularly excited about this orange because it's one of the few we've seen that is aged in oak!
Tasting Notes: Nose of dried flowers, hay, citrus pith and honey along with a delightful note of vanilla that balanced, but wasn’t too heady. Complex, with a resinous quality.
Review: Yes! YES! The oak sets this orange apart but it’s also just nicely incorporated and in balance with the alcohol and everything else going on.
Biggest Impression: Alcohol was more pronounced than we thought it would be. A good wine for people who don’t think they’ll like wine, especially if they are whiskey/bourbon drinkers or sour beer fans.
How to Pair: Here’s where you want to dive into a runny, delightful triple. This wine is screaming for a spreadable cheese with a little funk. And for God’s sake, just TRY eating the rind. You will LOVE it with this wine.
“The Five Peaks” Cabernet Sauvignon
There's nothing like a classic Napa Cab: and yes, we keep these on hand in March because of the snow, wind and wintery-weather that hangs out so far into – let's face it – April here in Southern Vermont. Speaking of which, thank Buddha we got that out of the way early this year.
Known for being big and bold, Cabernet Sauvignon is perfect whether you want to sit outside by a fire under a blanket on a cold day or chill on the couch with a good book and the pets. We always have Cab Sauv options on hand in March and we're always glad we do because it is perfect this time of year.
The Vice Wine’s “The Five Peaks” Cabernet Sauvignon is a real gem, made with care from a variety of sites, and the bottle is, in The Vice Wine way, really, really pretty. It’s absolutely worth every penny of the $128 price and based on how stellar this is young, Nancy suggests buying some extras and aging them.
Tasting Notes: This is one to take time with while it’s freshly-poured in your glass and through every step of the journey. If you don’t know “mulberry” as a tasting note, this wine will teach you. Silky, rich mulberries dance with so many delightful oak notes including pralines or roasted almonds. It’s got some nice light coffee and cocoa notes and some vanilla. As it opens up the fruit shines through but it’s always enveloped in the spices that make this such an absolute delight. A true Nap Cab.
Review: Greg was S H O O K. “This is what I wanted to taste in the late Sunday afternoon after being away visiting a friend. I got snow, had a nice time with a friend in Portland and now I’m spending more time with another friend. I got to see my cat and played some guitar and the snow is pretty. I f’cking love Vermont.”
We were both completely enamored by this wine, so much so that we finished the bottle and felt inspired to pick up guitars and jam together. This is the wine to break out with your creative friends and see where it takes you. Whether that’s cooking a meal together in the kitchen, playing a board game or making music: this wine is the perfect accompaniment to friendship.
Biggest Impression: There’s a reason the glass is so heavy and dark: this is a wine that’s going to see you through some stuff. Definitely has aging potential but, like that girl who sat next to you in A.P. Euro, it’s got an old soul right out the gate.
How to Pair: Cheddar and other sharp cheeses (Manchego, Idiazabal), olives, cured meats… yes, a charcuterie board wine indeed. But also not to be missed with a steak, especially one rubbed in something unexpected, Nancy’s begging for someone to use herbs de Provence. That said, it’s also the perfect on its own wine, with enough going on to keep you shrouded in its yummy depths.
Be sure to check out The Vice Wine online and se if they have something that catches your eye (we're sure they will!)
