Wine of the Week: Scharffenberger, NV Brut Rosé

With Valentine’s Day in the offing, surprise your date with bubbles … rose-colored bubbles, that is.

Our wine-of-the-week winner is the Scharffenberger, NV Anderson Valley Brut Rosé at $23. This is a smart bubbly for the budget-wise romantic, a steal for the price.

This sparkler has gorgeous aromas of yeast and petroleum, with flavors of strawberry and vanilla cream on the palate. It has a round texture, bright acidity and a nice mousse. What makes it a standout is its nose. Its complex aromas match those of much higher-priced bottlings.

Tex Sawyer, the winemaker of Scharffenberger, said what the uninitiated don’t know about sparkling rosé is that “they generally aren’t sweet.”

“They go with a broad range of food. Think pinot noir,” he said. “Rose will match well with anything a red pinot will and many times better because the acid and the bubbles cleanse the palate, the fruit essences add layers to what you are eating and the lower alcohol does not numb the palate.”

The challenge of crafting a great sparkler is a matter of balance, Sawyer said.

“It’s getting the right balance of red wine to white base wine to achieve the aromas and flavors desired without too much red wine tannin interfering with the final balance,” he said.

Sawyer, 66, has an master’s degree in food science with an enology specialization from UC Davis. He moved to Mendocino County in 1979.

The winemaker said he found himself at a crossroads when he didn’t get accepted to medical school.

“I have a bachelor’s of science in biochemistry (pre-med) but I didn’t want to pursue a chemistry career,” Sawyer said. “One of my undergraduate electives was foods fermentation because I wanted to learn how to make beer at home … Later when the medical career pursuit fell through I fell back on this class as being a possible way to make use of my degree investment.”

Sawyer said his advisor at the time tried to dampen his spirits.

“’He said forget it because to get a job in that field someone would have to die out of their position,’” Sawyer said. “I ignored his advice and went to UC Davis. The boutique winery explosion of the late 1970s happened just as I got out of school, so I didn’t have to kill anyone.”

Sawyer said what makes him a good fit to make sparkling rosé is that “my palate flavor preferences are not dissimilar to a large segment of the general population.”

The other reason Sawyer said he’s well suited to craft sparkling rosé is that it’s his favorite, whether or not it’s Valentine’s Day.