NV Volére Rosé

When I first saw the press release about wine packaged in purses, I laughed. Julia thought it was cute, so I thought I'd go ahead and try a sample. After all, it's produced by Cantina di Soave, and I've enjoyed their wines in the past. I've also been surprised by the increasing quality of boxed wines, and I get a lot of questions about them from friends and family looking for a casual couple of glasses a week.

There are three purse boxes under the Volére label (which doesn't translate to anything, it's just an Italian-sounding word): a Pinot Grigio in an off-white color, a Pinot Noir/Merlot blend in a red bag, and this rosé in pink. The spigot comes out of the narrow side of the bag. While the packaging got a lot of giggles and interest from female friends on Facebook, I will say that it's a little impractical. It only holds 1.5 litres, the equivalent of two regular wine bottles. Most cask wines hold at least three, and are sturdier and more stackable. But a burlap sack holds a lot more than a designer purse, yet you don't see a lot of women walking around with an old potato sack slung over one shoulder. There's a reason why this isn't a fashion blog.

NV Volére Rosé
$15/1.5 litres, 13.5% abv.

Made from "select grape varieties indigenous to the spectacular Veneto Hills", but beyond that I don't know anything about the grapes. I braced myself for a wave of sweetness, but was relieved to find a quite decent dry rosé. It reminded me a lot of the first dry rosé I ever had, one from southern Italy and made from Negroamaro grapes. The overall profile is dominated by strawberries and raspberries with just enough acidity to keep things interesting without being overly tart. Relatively mild aromas and flavors keep it light and refreshing, and it was fun to sip over the weekend with burgers and spaghetti. Despite my initial impressions, the wine was more serious than I expected and ended up being the perfect wine for a hot summer weekend with casual food.


Note: This wine was received as a sample.