19 Apr Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Amista Sparkling Syrah, Morningsong Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley

The great thing about sparkling wines is that they are not just for special occasions or celebrations. Sparkling wine can be enjoyed any day of the week! And that is what I did this week when I opened up a bottle of sparkling wine in the middle of the day. And why not?!?! Light, refreshing, and delicious, it put a smile on my face and that is why the Amista Sparkling Syrah from Morningsong Vineyards in Dry Creek Valley is the Please The Palate wine of the week.

ABOUT

Amista, roughly translated, means “making friends” in Spanish. Vicky and Mike Farrow purchased the 20-acre Morningsong Vineyards in 1999. Located in the Dry Creek Valley, the vineyard was planted to Chardonnay and they removed 8 acres to plant Syrah. 2003 was their first vintage, which was released in 2005. They opened their tasting room in 2007 and made their first sparkling wine, a sparkling Syrah, in 2008. Today the Morningsong Vineyards has seven acres of Chardonnay, six acres of Grenache, five acres of Syrah, and two acres of Mourvèdre. They also source Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. While Amista makes many still wines, they also make six sparkling wines – Blanc de Blanc (made from Chardonnay), Sparkling Syrah, Sparkling Grenache, Sparkling Mataro (Mourvèdre), Fusión (a blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Chardonnay), and Sparkling Tres (Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre). All of these estate sparkling wines are made in the traditional method.

TASTING NOTES

The Amista Sparkling Syrah, Morningsong Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley is a non-vintage wine. The grapes spent 10 hours on the skins and the wine spent 5 months in stainless steel followed by 15 months in bottle. It is a beautiful, bold cranberry color. The wine has pretty red fruit aromas of cranberry, cherry, and strawberry, as well as notes of grapefruit zest and toasted almonds. The wine is bright on the palate with a lovely mid-palate texture and a lingering finish.

FOOD PAIRING

Amista calls this wine “BBQ Bubbles” and I can imagine enjoying it with barbecue. But it is such an enjoyable, fresh sparkling rosé that I would pair it with just about anything, from cheese and charcuterie to grilled meats. Or, I would just sip it on its own!

WHERE TO PURCHASE

Only 513 cases of the Amista Sparkling Syrah, Morningsong Vineyards, Dry Creek Valley were made. The wine retails for $38 and is available for purchase on the Amista website.