Gobelsburg, Dry Rose

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everything from the latest cocktail craze to the wonderful world of wine." -Chad

Gobelsburg, Dry Rose

Easter is coming up this weekend and that gives us an excuse to talk about one of our favorite topics in the wine world: DRY ROSE! This category of wine is often misunderstood because consumers have been conditioned to think that everything that is pink is sweet. Not only are most pink (or rose) wines dry, but they are very popular around the world. This trend is slowly catching on in the United States as wine geeks like us champion the awesomeness of dry roses to customers. Most of the dry rose wines start arriving in the US around this time and pair extremely well with the usual Easter dinner foods.

Chad the Tie Guy's Drink of the Week: I love dry rose wines, but this one blew me away. The combination of indigenous Austrian grapes (Zweigelt and St. Laurent) give this wine super aromatics of rose petal, cherry and strawberry with a really clean finish. This is one of those wines that just disappears from the glass. If you try one dry rose this year, make it this one!

Grape Varietals:  Zweigelt and St. Laurent

Wine Region: Osterreich, Austria

Alcohol Content: 12%

White Horse Wine Color Code System:       DRY ROSE WINE      

Food Pairings: Try this wine with our Montchevre Goat Cheese on a fresh baguette with salty black olives and marinated roasted red peppers.

Items in italics are available at the Market at White Horse Wine & Spirits

Yards Brewing Company, Saison

A farmhouse inspired beer with an interesting history behind it results in Yard’s Saison summer beer. A culmination of fruits and spices combined with an harmonious balance of hops and malts results in a crisp, refreshing ale ready to enjoy on a sunny day fishing, barbequing, or relaxing poolside.

Origins are tied to a French-speaking section of Belgium where farm workers would brew their recipe in Autumn or winter (the cooler months) to be ready for consumption out in the fields during the summer. The saison beer was used as hydration for the farm hands ("les saisonniers") as there was often a lack of potable water in the fields. It served its purpose and as a result forged a new style of beer often referred to as the farmhouse ale.

It belongs to no specific category other than being a Belgian style ale as there are no defining characteristics that pigeonhole it into one genre’. The saison was a dying breed but has most recently made a strong comeback in the craft beer community. Thanks to Yard’s brewing company out of Philadelphia, they have resurrected a delicious ale that was close to the brink of extinction.

I gave this beer a generously high rating, but overall, a great session beer and certainly a pleasant change-up just in time for summer! Yard’s Saison has a citrusy carbonated bite on the front end leading to a crisp, refreshing, mildly-hopped finish. Yard’s Saison appeals to a vast audience, from your IPA lovers on down to your Belgian-style ale enthusiasts, and has much to offer in the ways of diversity regarding the elements used to create this seasonal. An easy drinking, light-bodied, golden pale ale lends itself to a vast array of audiences that can enjoy and appreciate this farmhouse seasonal beer. Cheers!

ABV 6.5%
AVAILABILITY April - July
PAIRINGS Break out the grill because Saison is the perfect compliment to anything you throw on the fire. We like pairing it with various types of sausages, a pot of mussels or Southeastern Asian cuisine.

Personal Rating: 8.1/10

Style Rating: 9.3/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at whitehorsewine.com.

Victory Swing Session Saison

A new Spring seasonal from Victory Brewing Company. This is a "Session" Saison which means it is lower in alcohol then most beers so you can drink alot of it in one "session". This sounds like a very promising beer.
Saisons are light citrus driven beers that are very refreshing and perfect for warm weather drinking. Hopped with German and American Hops and then spiced with peppercorns, orange peel and fresh lemon zest, this beer has potential to beer a great Summer sipper. Full disclosure, Victory's Summer Love is one of my favorite Summer beers as it is easy drinking but hoppy enough to satisfy so I have high hopes for this brew.
When I first cracked this beer, I was expecting to be hit with the classic citrus aromas of a typical Saison or at least a little citrus hop aroma. Neither are present even when poured into a nice Sam Adams glass (engineered to bring out more of the subtle aromas found in beer). The aromatics are more woody, with light pepper spice and a slight almond smell. The first sip is interesting. It is not light and crisp, which would be great for a Spring beer. It is also not hoppy enough to satisfy a hop head as a lighter pale ale. I find this beer neither refreshing nor enjoyable. I have to say that I like a lot of Victory's beers, but this one falls way short of my expectations and severely disappoints. I really thought this would be another home run from one of our local breweries. Great idea but poor execution.


Personal Rating: 2/10
Style Rating: 4/10

Wanna try it now? Order it online at:
www.whitehorsewine.com