During the hectic week of Vinitaly 2024 I had the great pleasure of attending Masi’s launch of their new winery and visitor center and their new rosé, Rosa dei Masi. Valpolicella is my backyard and everyone knows I will do anything to taste new Italian rosés, so I donned my favourite dark pink dress and headed out to see the fabulous new construction (can’t wait til it is completely finished, it will be a stunner) and share in the joy of an Italian wine party. Rosé based cocktails, wine and food were flowing, along with live music and speeches, capped off by the maestro himself, Sandro Boscaini calling for a jeroboam of Amarone to be ceremoniously opened in honor of the event! After a fun evening, it was back home to do some serious tasting of Masi rosé 3 ways.
I called in my trusty home-grown tasting team who were visiting a week later. Their perspectives are always so useful and their palates have been carefully trained by their loving mother. This time it was my 24 year old and my 31 year old daughters, so one each from the Millenials and Gen Z. They are always up for a tasting and three rosés on offer made them very happy indeed. Note to self, this is why my kids come home to visit.
We started with Moxxé 2023, classified as a Pinot Grigio Ramato Spumante Brut. Ramato means copper and refers to the wine’s clear pale rose gold colour. The grapes undergo a brief drying period before they are pressed to create a bright sparkling wine made with the tank method. The nose is fresh and clean, full of just barely ripe strawberries, sharp raspberries and pink rose petals, with a hint of watermelon. A lovely soft mouthfeel with a vibrant acidity and delicious notes of compressed red berries. This is an easy drinking pink bubble that will pair very well with summer salads, light aperitivos and generally a fun day in the sunshine. Sure to be a winner with the international drink pink and rosé all day crowd.
The packaging was attractive, with embossed bubbles on the pink foil label, much admired by my tasters. An eye catching fuschia pink band on the collar was also a strong talking point. The name Moxxé was also welcomed as a name everyone can pronounce and the connotations of “moxy” – sassiness in English – appealed. The rustic shape of the bottle was applauded for its ability to remain upright on a beach or in the grass at a picnic and the rounded label was viewed as reminiscent of a regal crest, subconsciously hinting at quality in the mind of the consumer. The wine is vegan, which was deemed a significant positive for the likely audience.
Second was Rosa del Faè 2023 Spumante Rosé Marzemino Millesimato Brut, for Canevel. The wine is made from 100% Marzemino grapes grown in the historic hillside Faè vineyard between Refrontolo and Valdobbiadene in eastern Veneto. Also made in the tank method, this wine is a deeper pink colour with a coppery hue and a delightful citrusy nose that made my tasting team say, “oooh, I like that!” Fine persistent bubbles bring scents of orange blossom, pink geraniums and nectarine to the nose. On the palate the wine has a touch of pink Himalayan sea salt and a slight pleasantly phenolic grip, combined with bright acidity and flavours of fresh red berries and a zesty orange peel. This was the gastronomic wine of the three, in our opinion, the one most able to hold its own throughout an entire meal and pair well with a wide variety of dishes.
The packaging here felt more French with a more traditional font and an aristocratic pink sash across the label. The Burgundy shape of the bottle suggested fine dining and a restaurant worthy wine.
And finally, the newly launched Rosa dei Masi 2023, 100% merlot and vinified as a still rosé, classified as Rosato Trevenezie IGT. The grapes are grown in my home comune of Negrar in the upper part of Valpolicella. Pale salmon in colour with a delicate nose of melon and nespola (medlar fruit), flavours of wild strawberry and sharp blackberry played with the fresh acidity, all the way through to an interesting almondy finish. Easy to drink and pairable with local and international dishes.
The packaging was much appreciated for the silvery pink label with pale pink matte foil and a lacey petal detail, although the square shape of the label did not feel as eye catching as the previous wines. The name of the wine printed in deep pink ink and the clear modern font were high scorers for their readability. This wine is also vegan, which was a talking point and viewed as a positive by the tasters.
It’s always fascinating to see how Italian wineries are incorporating rosés into their portfolios and Masi’s renowned history and excellent experimentation are shown to good effect through these three different wines. Becoming more of a player in the international rosé trend is sure to support future growth in the Italian wine market, especially if we want to attract new young consumers to the world of wine.
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