It’s rare when doing a wine tasting with people of varying taste preferences that everyone enjoys the wine. But that’s what happens with Smitten. Made from the Marquette grape, this sweeter rosé (6.1% RS) has fresh fruit flavors of strawberry, raspberry, and a sweet tart finish of lime that is pleasing to a wide variety of palates.

Marquette is a hybrid grape that is so versatile, so resistant to cold and mildew, and so tasty that it is a favorite with both wine growers and wine drinkers. St. Julian first used Marquette to make a powerful dry red, then as part of a sweet red blend. 

This is the first time using it as a rosé wine and the outcome is excellent. Marquette is a red grape with a deep red color and rich fruit flavors. To make this rosé wine, the fruit was picked early to maintain the acidity level and then pressed immediately specifically to make rosé.  

Because Marquette is one of the few grapes where the flesh is also red, not just the skins, the color of this rosé is a rich dark pink. But don’t let that fool you. It’s super refreshing! The flavors are bright with fresh red berries being pronounced. To give it a little extra burst of citrus and sweetness, a small amount of Traminette grape juice was blended into the final wine.

Rosé wines are known for being food friendly due to their bright fruit flavors with fresh acidity and this wine is no exception. Enjoy Smitten with foods like chocolate covered strawberries, charcuterie, cheesecake, raspberry chicken, pork, seafood, and cheese. This wine will be a favorite of yours. 

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