Wine from roses? Please help.

I am looking for a wine, it's my partner's favorite, but can not locate it or be sure that I have the name correct. (I would just ask, but it is for a special occasion.)

What I do know is, or think I know, that the wine is made from roses, the after taste is of roses, and from what I understand it is made around Missouri and in Missouri.

The name is something like "Tremensent."

If anyone has any idea what I am talking about, please get back to me.

[Robin Garr]

Chelsea, there's a Missouri winery called Cave Vineyard that makes a wine from a grape called <b>traminette</b>, and they advertise it as having a scent like rose petals. That seems like a pretty close fit to what you're looking for. Try this link and page down to the display for "Traminette" and see if it looks right.

http://www.cavevineyard.com/wines.asp

Chelsea, I bet that Robin is right on the money with this one. Traminette is a hybrid grape that has the famous Gewürztraminer grape as one of its parents, and the wine from Gewürztraminer often has what I refer to as "spicy rosewater" aromas. It stands to reason that if Traminette inherited Gewürztraminer's aromatic profile, then it should likely also produce a wine with rose-petal aromas. Good luck finding it, and let us know if you do!

Years ago, I worked with an old Hungarian immigrant that made wine from just about everything, including elderberries, pumpkins, pears and rose hips. Some wasn't bad, but some was. If I recall, the rose hip was decent, but sweet.

[Robin Garr]

Years ago, I worked with an old Hungarian immigrant that made wine from just about everything, including elderberries, pumpkins, pears and rose hips. Some wasn't bad, but some was. If I recall, the rose hip was decent, but sweet.

At the Kentucky State Fair, I once judged a rose-petal wine made by vinifying rose flowers from the State Fairgrounds rose garden. It wasn't memorable.

I really do think she's looking for Cave Winery Traminette, though. The name's a match for the way she heard it, it's a Missouri winery, and they explicitly market their Traminette as having a rose-petal character.

[Jenise]

Chelsea, I bet that Robin is right on the money with this one. Traminette is a hybrid grape that has the famous Gewürztraminer grape as one of its parents, and the wine from Gewürztraminer often has what I refer to as "spicy rosewater" aromas. It stands to reason that if Traminette inherited Gewürztraminer's aromatic profile, then it should likely also produce a wine with rose-petal aromas. Good luck finding it, and let us know if you do!

Paul, IIRC, Gray Monk in BC also makes a Traminette. I believe the color is especially unusual in that it comes from the fact that the grape is a rare red-fleshed grape, where most red wines are made from white fleshed grapes that merely have a red (or actually, black) skin.

Paul, IIRC, Gray Monk in BC also makes a Traminette.

Now that I didn't know - thanks Jenise! I just wish we could order these wines more easily, or that they'd get featured at Vintages.

I also think that Traminette might be a good grape for the Niagara Peninsula, because the great majority of Gewürzes I've had from the home turf have been next-to-neutral, and that just keeps me going back to Alsace every time. I just feel that the grape, for some reason, isn't all that happy here. Traminette, on the other hand ...

I believe the color is especially unusual in that it comes from the fact that the grape is a rare red-fleshed grape, where most red wines are made from white fleshed grapes that merely have a red (or actually, black) skin.

Jenise, the interesting thing is that as with Gewürz, our native grapes also come in such shades: e.g. Delaware and Catawba are both light-red/pinkish-skinned grapes that are most often used for making white wines.

Paul, IIRC, Gray Monk in BC also makes a Traminette. I believe the color is especially unusual in that it comes from the fact that the grape is a rare red-fleshed grape, where most red wines are made from white fleshed grapes that merely have a red (or actually, black) skin.

Jenise - your post confused me. Traminette is a white grape with white flesh, whereas Gewurtz, when ripened can develop a red skin. Also, I didn't think anyone in Canada grew Traminette, as the variety is not recognized by VQA. I checked the Gray Monk website and they do not list a Traminette, but they do list a Gewurtz that is exposed to extended skin contact. I have some Traminette planted in my yard and hope to have some grapes for the '08 or '09 vintage. Here is a link:

http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/hort/facu ... nette.html

[Jenise]

Jenise - your post confused me. Traminette is a white grape with white flesh, whereas Gewurtz, when ripened can develop a red skin. Also, I didn't think anyone in Canada grew Traminette, as the variety is not recognized by VQA.

Howie, you're right. I stand corrected. The grape I was thinking of it Gray Monk's Rotberger (not to be confused with Rotburger, which is another name for Zweigelt):

"Gray Monk’s own vineyard provided the grapes for the Rotberger. Mash from the grapes underwent a 9-day fermentation in stainless steel tanks. To maximize the fruit flavours strict temperature control was employed during the fermentation process.

This wine dances in the glass with its dark rose petal hue. The penetrating aroma shows spice, raspberry and currant notes, leading to flavours of spiced cherries and cranberries with linger on the long, lively finish. The ample flavours and full, firm texture herald a wine that is proud to be a true rosé."

Quite a few Rose Petal Wine or Rose Hip Wine recipes include white grape juice.

Salute

Yup, I've had that Rotberger, and it is unusual and interesting. And while it is a rose' (as in rozay) and it might have the color of a rose (as in rohz) I've never detected the slightest bit of rose (again, rohz) aroma or flavor in the wine.

And while the subject is roses, let me add that Petit Verdot, one of the red blending grapes in Bordeaux and grown in other places as well, when grown in a warmer climate, can display definite aromas of rose petals. As in when I tasted one once with the winemaker and said, "Hmm. Rose petals!"

"No," replied the winemaker. "Mr. Lincoln Rose petals!"

As usual, he was right.

And that is why Petit Verdot is used judiciously as a blending grape in Bordeaux-style blends, because it adds, among other things, and interesting fragrant rose-petal quality to the blend.