When the Bud Breaks, a new release dropping this weekend, is our first still grape wine rosé.. Though there exists a wide range of rosé, what one typically expects from the majority is a pale pink color, filtered to clear, a light body, and subtle notes of fruit and flowers.

In contrast, our Rosé dials it up with a vibrant color, intense aromatics and juicy fruity flavors offset by serious tannins. Like most of our grape wines, this pushes the convention of what you expect of a NYS wine and explores a broader concept of terroir. We don't currently grow grapes at Rose Hill Farm. While our Hudson River region offers limited supply of grapes grown to our standards, NYS has a surprising abundance of quality grapes. We source the best fruit from growers who most closely align with our growing practices. We celebrate the standouts, vinifera and hybrids, from each NYS AVA and we blend them to create something special and unexpected.

As for the process, we pressed and combined Merlot (vinifera from the North Fork, a prevalent grape of Long Island AVA) with Valvin Muscat (a hybrid grape which thrives in our Hudson River Region AVA) as a Rosé. We later added Noiret (another hybrid grape from the Finger Lakes AVA), our first time working with it. (As always, this wine is raw, fermented with native yeast, produced without fining or filtering.)

When the Bud Breaks offers a floral perfume with notes of lychee and cranberry.As for the blend, Merlot makes a great Rosé base with juicy red fruit flavors. Muscat lends aromatics. Noiret, with the highest Brix (sugar content) of the trio, adds potency, body and color intensity.

To celebrate the launch of When the Bud Breaks, we sourced six other rosé wines produced in NYS. Try all of them at the Taproom this weekend as we are offering rosé flights this Saturday and Sunday!