Mission Rose

 Mission (almost accomplished 😉) Rose Sensory Analysis Prior to Bottling

New Mexico's heritage variety: Mission.  Four rose wines: Daniel Goodrich (NMSU Viticulture Program Coordinator) and NMSU undergraduate, Fausto Barazinin-Rogel, received ~1,000 lbs. of Mission grapes from Teardrop Vineyards in Tularosa, NM courtesy of winegrower Barry Brown and Consultant Michael Dominguez. Michael was interested in New Mexico Mission as a heritage variety, and how rose wine made from them would turn out using two different yeasts: X-5 and DV-10.  NMSU viticulture partnered with Michael to produce four rose wines. The wines were fermented using each of the two yeast strains at two different temperature regimes, basically room or lab temperature and the other, much cooler at < 60 degrees F.  The winner as far as color and taste? The wine on the far left in this photo, X-5 yeast fermented at room temperature. Notice the 'Provence' style pink to salmon pink color? The wine has a full bouquet and aroma, a medium finish and many fruit and tropical notes throughout. All were finished completely dry. All wines have been cold and protein stabilized (with bentonite) will likely be blended together and then fined with Isinglass and filtered prior to bottling.  

Michael Dominguez assessing color of Mission Rose wines made at NMSU's Fermentation Lab, Fabian Garcia Agriculture Science Center, Las Cruces NM, October 21, 2020.