We received the product for review and all opinions are our own.
At the risk of being repetitive, I’ll say that I like a wide variety of wine styles. Whether sweet or dry, white or red (or rosé/blush), if they are good quality products, I’ll drink and enjoy them. This post reviews English Newsom Cellars 2017 “Flirt” blush table wine. I’m not a sommelier so don’t expect too many “somm” like descriptors in this review. I’ll simply state what the experience was while tasting and drinking this wine.
Before my impressions of the wine it should be noted that this wine won a Best of Class award in the 2019 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition (as did their 2017 Roussanne). They were in the fine company of three other Texas wineries with Texas sourced grapes to win Best of Class awards. It’s great to see Texas wines performing so well in the heart of American “wine country.”
Be aware that you will see English Newsom wine under that name and possibly CapRock Winery. Co-owner Steve Newsom states that from now on wine will be released as English Newsom Cellars only. Customers around the Lubbock area are familiar with CapRock Winery, so for the time being that’s what will be out front at their location. But unless it’s left over in the distribution pipeline, there won’t be any more CapRock Winery bottles on shelves. So be sure to look for English Newsom Cellars for bottles of their wines.
Now for the wine, the 2017 “Flirt” Rosé. The color is kind of strawberry or watermelon in the bottle. It’s crystal clear and bright and presents that way in the glass. Once poured it is bright and fresh on the nose. I got strong citrus notes.
The first taste was where the real fun began. I experienced big time strawberry fruit forwardness that was really enjoyable. This gives way to a nice balanced acidity. I would consider this an off-dry blush with nice residual sugar that’s balanced perfectly with the crisp, acidic finish. After tasting and writing down my impressions, I finished my glass paired with spicy General Tso’s Chicken that went well with the wine.
This is a fun wine! A very enjoyable one that I’d be pleased to drink again. Depending on when you read this and if you can find the 2017 Flirt, it would make a great Valentine’s day wine. As for recommended pairings, the winery suggests fruit pies. My wife and I thought a salad with feta cheese and strawberries would be a good match. For desserts, a good match would be cheesecake with strawberries. I also wouldn’t hesitate to have it with spicy Thai or Chinese food.
This wine is sourced with grapes from the Texas High Plains. There is no description of what grapes they are except to say the “highest quality white and red varietals from the Texas High Plains AVA.”
In the end, would I recommend this wine? If you like off dry wines, then absolutely. If not, I think it’s still worth a try if only to see a good example of a well-balanced off dry wine. I would also not hesitate to recommend you try other offerings from English Newsom Cellars. The partnership between Newsom Family Farms and CapRock Winery has given all involved full control of the wine from the vineyard to the bottle.
Nice post