We started making our Firefly Rose in 2018, partly in response to the growing popularity of rose wines in general.  In 2018, Firefly was made exclusively from cabernet sauvignon.  To make a rose wine from such (normally) dark-red grapes, we press the grapes as soon as they arrive at the winery from the vineyard.  Normally, when making a red wine, the entire grape crop undergoes fermentation; juice, pulp, skins, seeds.  When making a rose wine, the grapes are pressed before fermentation, to separate the juice from the solids.  In this process, only some of the red pigment from the skins finds its way into the wine - - and hence the pink color rather than deep red.

In 2021 we used a mix of red grapes, including cabernet sauvignon and merlot, but also more malbec than we had used before, changing the flavor profile a little.  Our own tasting notes found these characteristics: ‘very aromatic’, ‘a cocktail or aromas’, ‘hibiscus’ (tropical flowers), ‘vanilla bean’, ‘traces of mint’, ‘luscious watermelon’, ‘ruby grapefruit’, ‘peach flesh’, ‘orange peel’.

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What do you think?

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