Dandy Rosé

When we attended the inaugural Texas Wine Revolution which featured rosé wines, the program listed some wines as “winemaker’s wine, no physical winery.” One of these wines was Dandy Rosé. I had to find out exactly what it took for a dedicated winemaker who would go through the extra effort to make their own wine when they didn’t have a winery.

Dandy Rosé is made by Rae Wilson. Wilson learned her wine education in Napa Valley, Europe, the Texas Hill Country, and Austin where she now calls home. Included in her wine education is a Level III advanced certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) and she is also a certified sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers. In Austin, she became a wine consultant through her business, Wine For the People, for wineries and vineyards in the area.

Rae Wilson said that Dandy Rosé is a brand dedicated solely to Texas rosé production. While living in central Texas, she found herself enjoy dry rosés almost year-round and loved the diversity with food pairing. The grapes that make up her favorite French rosé examples are well-suited for much of the climate and soil in many areas of Texas, and she thought it could be a style made fairly well here. Along with her longtime friend and business partner, Jill Posey, she decided to start making Dandy Rosé. They also planted the Miller Creek Vineyard on Posey’s Hill Country property.

Wilson is the winemaker but she uses the help of Lewis Wines and their crew to help make Dandy Rosé. The current release is 2015 which is a blend of 70% Mourvèdre and 30% Cinsaut, and the grapes came from Parr Vineyards and La Pradera Vineyard. 108 cases were made and unfortunately that means a limited supply. The wine is already sold out on her dandypink.com website, but you may be able to find some at the retailers and restaurants listed on the website.

Wilson never imagined she would be making wine in Texas, but the industry has been so welcoming and generous with support. She is grateful and amazed to have the opportunity to make wine, and she also has plans to make some Dandy sparkling wine someday.

If you are unable to find the 2015 Dandy Rosé, the good news is the 2016 vintage will be available in March 2017. Keep watching the website along with other social media such as Facebook, Instagram @dandypinktx, and Twitter @dandypinktx.