Two Texas Wineries Win at Two Rosé Wine Competitions

2022 Experience Rosé Wine Competition

Wedding Oak Winery was awarded a Double Gold medal and a 97-point score for its 2021 Castanet rosé at the 2022 Experience Rosé Wine Competition. Judging took place May 4-5. The 2022 Experience Rosé Wine Competition, produced by Wine Competitions Management & Production, is unique in that it is exclusively focused on identifying excellence in rosé wine, domestic and international, all styles. It is the largest rosé competition in the U.S.

Now in its fifth year, Experience Rosé was founded to help curious consumers confidently explore this emergent fine wine category. The prestigious international wine competition drew hundreds of rosé wine submissions from wineries around the world. Wedding Oak Winery was the only winning winery from Texas. Wines were scored by an expert panel of judges which included winemakers, sommeliers, retail buyers, wine educators, and journalists.

“It is truly an honor for our 2021 Castanet rosé to be recognized as one of the best wines in the world at the 2022 Experience Rosé Wine Competition,” says Mike McHenry, managing partner, Wedding Oak Winery. “Our talented winemaker, Seth Urbanek created Castanet in the traditional method using Cinsault grapes from the Texas High Plains. The fruit was harvested at the ideal acidity and ripeness for rosé winemaking, pressed immediately, and cold fermented. The result is a beautiful rosé. Our customers love this wine as much as the judges.”

The 2021 Castanet rosé has a lovely pale salmon color with aromas of strawberry shortcake, grapefruit, candied peaches, and flint. It is a delicious wine to enjoy year-round with flavors of tart grapefruit, white peach, and melon with a silky finish. Its bright flavors make it a perfect pairing for summer salads, grilled fish, paella, and chicken tinga tacos. Castanet rosé is available in the Wedding Oak Winery tasting rooms located in Burnet, Fredericksburg, and San Saba, Texas and online.

The judges described this 97-point scoring wine as having, “lovely aroma with papaya character. It’s mouth-filling. Unusually rich feeling.”

2022 Drink Pink Vino International Rosé Wine Competition

The 2022 Drink Pink Vino International Rosé Wine Competition presented by Wine Country Network, Inc was held May 14-15, 2022. It was judged by some of the top sommeliers, master sommeliers, and wine critics. This wine competition is one of only a handful of wine competitions focusing exclusively on fresh, food-friendly rosé wines.

Sandy Road Vineyards was the only Texas winery to win a medal and it was a Gold for its 2021 Sangiovese Rosé.

Winemaker and co-owner Reagan Sivadon said, “It’s truly an honor to win a Gold medal for our Texas estate-grown rosé, especially when those awards come from outside of Texas allowing us to spread the message that Texas makes stellar wines. We hand planted the two acres of Sangiovese (Brunello clone) at our family estate back in 2017 and it has quickly become one of our favorite varietals to grow and to drink. This Sangiovese was hand-harvested intentionally for rosé which means we picked it a bit early in the season to hopefully keep the nice acidity and brightness needed for a serious Provence style rosé.”

The wine can be ordered at the winery or online.