50 Shades of Rosé…

Last night we drank a bottle of 2017 Bermejo Listán Negro Rosado from Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.  I can only describe this as a Rosé that drinks like a Red.  Such wonderful complexity, nuance and balance – with a unique minerality from the volcanic soil.  The environment there means that divots have to be carved from the volcanic soil just to plant the vines!

Often called the “Island of Eternal Spring”, Lanzarote has a subtropical-desert climate.  The small amount of precipitation is mainly concentrated in the winter. Rainfall during summer is a rare phenomenon and several summers are completely dry without any precipitation. On average the island receives approximately 16 days of precipitation between December and February.  Sometimes, the hot sirocco wind prevails, causing dry and dusty conditions across the island.  Average precipitation in June and August is less than 0.5 millimetres (0.020 inches). It closely borders on a tropical climate, with winter means of 18 °C (64 °F) and summer means of 25 °C (77 °F).

These conditions are obviously harsh, and the grapes that develop are intense in flavor.  The resulting wines reflect that intensity.  They are a work of art created from hardship and adversity.