WINE INFORMATION

Eduardo Soler is an avid mountaineer who has scaled numerous famous peaks around the world and worked ski patrol in Aspen and Mendoza. When he returned to Argentina, he began managing a ski resort outside Mendoza. Here he met a few adventurous young growers who were working with “alternative” varieties, focusing on Rhône grapes. He joined with two partners, founding Ver Sacrum in 2012. Their philosophy focuses on fresh, low alcohol, honest, and easy-drinking wines. To this end, they harvest grapes manually and crush most by foot. Skin contact is light, native yeast is used in fermentation, no enzymes or other corrections are used, and the wines see no pumpovers or filtrations. Soler describes the name of the project thus: “When the old sent their young to found new villages, bringing grape vines to start new vineyards, they sent them off with a ceremony called the sacred spring or Ver Sacrum. Since then the Ver Sacrum is a symbol of the new tribe, new art, new vine. We renew this ancient vow, with the audacity to create something new. This is our Ver Sacrum.”

This rosé is a blend of two red grapes and one white. The Syrah and Marsanne come from the 15-acre Ver Sacrum vineyard planted in 2011; the Grenache comes from the Alto Verde vineyard, planted in 2004. Both are high altitude sites, sustainably farmed. The former has calcareous river stones, the latter sandy soil.

Grapes are harvested manually and the fruit destemmed. The Marsanne and Grenache are co-fermented in concrete for 15 days after about six hours of skin contact during the slow press cycle, giving the wine its intense color. The Syrah was directly pressed to concrete vat and fermented for 20 days. Only native yeasts were used in fermentation, and each lot saw malolactic fermentation in vat. 80% of the wine aged in vat, 20% in 5+-year-old French oak barrels. The wine is unfined and very lightly filtered before bottling. 391 cases were made.

TASTING NOTES

This is a softly perfumed wine, gently fruity, offering candied cranberries, candied red currants, red cherry, and floral aromas. The red fruits continue on the palate, joined by spice and flowers on the attack with a drier mid palate to finish. The cranberry, currant, and cherry flavors continue, but they don’t boast the acidity associated with these fruits. The savory character of Syrah emerges with air. This is a wine that can go from hammock to table without missing a beat. It is medium bodied (fairly full for a rosé) with a longer finish.

FOOD PAIRING

If you want something cold to drink with barbecued chicken or ribs, grab a bottle of Ver Sacrum Clarete. Pair with teriyaki sauce, on salmon or deep fried tofu. A salad with raspberry vinaigrette would be a good side dish.

East Asian (Chinese/Japanese/Korean), Fish-full flavored (salmon/tuna), Green Salads, Grilled preparations, Just for Cocktailing, Perfect Aperitif Wine, Pork, Thai or Vietnamese