Erica M.
Yelp
Sometimes you get STUCK in an airport for an unexpected few HOURS because you missed the CUT-OFF for when you can check luggage due to your rental car provider's ineptitude and then the gate agent snottily tells you that you HAVE to travel with your bags. Who makes these rules? Why was the world conspiring against me after a full week of work travel? Why can't my bags be carried on the next flight and hand-delivered by the all-female cast of Ghostbusters? The answer to all of these questions is: time to drink!
Let me say here that I am a giant fan of Vino Volo. I L O V E having a good eating/drinking option in most of the airports I am in. The SFO location is linked and directly next to Napa Farms Market that I frequent regularly. You can pick up a tasty salad, some triple-dark chocolate, and a Vita Coco Cafe (basically my favorite thing ever) at this wonderful little store front. It doesn't hurt that they also have a giant wine section where I have made many happy purchases, instead of spending my money at the "I love SF" t-shirt store a few doors down. (Golden Rule #107: Wine is the best gift!)
Anyway, because of the timing of previous flights, I haven't had enough time time to actually sit down at this Vino Volo before now. Well, today we take care of all family business, so it is time to crush the rosé flight at the Double V.
Rosé #1: Domaine De Triennes Vin de Pays du Var Rosé Blend ($27)
Classified by Vino Volo's SUPER Scientific Fruit/Compexity Wine Grid as Bright (high fruit/low complexity), they talk about this wine as "a bouquet of strawberries and white flowers with a hint of vanilla". And, I'll be damned if it DID taste like strawberries. After a little iPhone research, I saw that my favorite wine lady, Jordan Salcito (Sommelier and Wine Director for Momofuku) loves this wine- and, if she thinks something is fresh and delicious, who am I to disagree?
This is very, very balanced and my favorite of the three rosés here. It is mineral-ly, but not too much. It does have that previously noted strawberry flavor which is lovingly leveled off by some peach and floral notes.
With this rosé, I had a moment where I questioned how much had actually been poured in my glass originally (even with the other glasses making for a perfect marker, as they were still full and placed right next to this one) because I drank it so quickly. I would have ordered several more glasses of this wine, if I was on vacation. If you think of rosé as juice (like I do), let's just get THIS grown woman a bottomless sippy cup of this stuff and be done with it already.
Rosé #2: Vineyard of Pasterick Rosé of Syrah ($36)
As this is a rosé from the new world, I expected it to be a bit of a sweeter rosé- and it was not. Dry, dry, dry is the tune of this rosé. Vino Volo is hanging its hat on it being like "fresh cut watermelon and minerals"; I can back that description only if I get to add tangerine (and other stone fruits) to it. In this wine flight, this is not my favorite, but this is the one that made me appreciate the others. It is like the guy you date before you meet and marry your husband- someone just terrible enough to make you REALLY appreciate basic respect and communication. Sorry, it seems that metaphor went off the rails somewhere because I can't really link it back to the wine at this point, but you get what I am trying to say.
Being more expensive than the Triennes, I don't see the point of purchasing this wine. It is fine, but not great. It is drinkable because it is a quality rosé, but I wouldn't write home about it. Moving on to the last round.
Rosé #3: Ontañón Persephone Rioja Rosé Blend ($25)
Ok, Vino Volo seems to love categorically "bright" rosés and I am comfortable with that description because the other options on their grid are "rich", "light", or "brooding"- which is just a no go for a good rosé. They have this one's flavor as "wild strawberry and lilacs", but my palette does not note lilacs by taste. I get a tart pomegranate and raspberry on the palette. But, like the endless search for a crossed-fingers emoji (how in the heck does THAT not exist), this is going to make you grab for something else because it is not exactly right.
All in, this was a great way to blow a couple of hours. Vino Volo continues to be a nice little respite from the Cinnabon-standardizing of airport terminals. Also, I am going to buy my weight in rosé online now because I couldn't carry as many bottles as I actually wanted to on the plane with me. Until the next layover/delay!