Melissa and Jeff Lawson, wine writers and reviewers at Drink the Bottles. All photos courtesy of drinkthebottles.com
Wine reviewers, writers, and bloggers Melissa and Jeff Lawson curate and produce content for their Drink The Bottles website. The pair personally sample and review every wine they post about, with a decidedly unpretentious and down-to-earth approach.
Located in the midwest, the duo only write about wines they believe have universal appeal. As they explain it: “These are wines that we would be happy to share with friends and family and we will cover everything from a $9 grocery store pick-up bottle to bottles worth hundreds of dollars. If we don’t connect with a wine, you’ll never hear about it here.”
It was a thrill, therefore, to read their thoughts on our 2021 Prelude Estate “Brosé.” They write:
Kicking off our series of Oregon wines, we started with this inviting Rosé that is as gorgeous in the glass as it is on the tongue. The 2021 Bells Up Winery Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir first captures the eye with the stunning reddish hue, darker than many other Pinot Noir rosé on the market. It was intriguing and immediately mouth-watering. We tasted this wine both on its own merit and with food (which is unusual for us, but we had to prove a point to ourselves).
With ample time in the glass, we began swirling and collecting pleasant, but not overpowering, aromas of strawberry and pomegranate. The fruit is more noticeable on the palate and the acid is in check and doesn’t even begin to overpower this easy-drinking wine. The finish is subtle and enjoyable. While we don’t always taste wines with food, there was something here that was urging us to do so. We tasted this with a variety of salty cheeses and the pairing was absolutely incredible. This is definitely a “food” wine and one of the best Rosé of Pinot Noir that we have tasted in recent memory. Drink The Bottles score: 92/100
Melissa and Jeff aren’t the first to pair our Rosé with food:
- Wine writer Caitlin Hodges of Sips N Tips has developed a Grilled Ahi Tuna Nicoise Salad to pair with it.
- Mary Cressler and Sean Martin of Vindulge and Ember+Vine created a Grilled Beet Salad with Rosé Infused Cranberries and Smoked Bacon using our Prelude Rosé.
- Crushed Grape Chronicles’ Robin and Michael Renken paired it with Hamburger Sliders with Blue Cheese and Fig Jam, Prosciutto Wrapped Cantaloupe, and BBQ Sliders with Purple Slaw.
- Plus, Prelude is a perennial perfect pairing with Thanksgiving Turkey and all the trimmings!
