The Copenhagen Rose Festival

This past weekend I traveled to Copenhagen for a rosé festival. Yes, you heard that right, rosé. As Summer is fast approaching it is almost time for my favorite warm weather beverage and I thought there would be no better way to kick it off then by tasting some new rosés from around the world at the Copenhagen Rose Festival.  The two day event – on both Friday and Saturday – offered various two hour slots but i figured the last would offer the longest time to enjoy the wine (figuring we wouldn’t be rushed out) and that 6pm to 8pm would set us up nicely for dinner.

The festival – located at a large event space on a canal near the famed Little Mermaid – was sold out and each ticket got you a admission, wine glass, two small tastings, a bottle of water, and a poster to take home and we topped up with six larger tastings to truly enjoy the event.

We arrived early, not wanting to miss a minute of the rosé and sipped on welcome glasses before being led into a classroom style set up.  While most guests enjoyed the brief history of rosé I found myself staring longingly at the black curtains waiting for them to open as I do not understand a single word of Dutch. I didn’t have to wait long though because soon it was time to meet with the wine importers and the wine merchants to try their delicious offerings with options from Skærsøgaard, Dúzsi Tamás, AIX, Garance Wine Cellars, Alain Girard and more. 

I tried more than I’m willing to share – from very dark options to one’s distilled from tea – but my favorite was from Garane Wine Cellars for more than one reason.  First, I love a brand that knows their clientele – they bottle the exact same rosé under two names, G2 and Revolution Bastards, depends on which one would suit your fancy.  Also as you can see from the photo below they really go all out with the size of the bottles, up to 6 liters!  But the real winner, the taste – it was light, airy, crisp, fresh, and exactly what I look for in a rosé.  My only compliant is this South of France wine is not available for sale in England or the U.S. – so sad! 

While I was only expecting wine I was pleasantly surprised at the number of snacks on offer and also to see the chefs who cooked options that complimented the rosé wine all while we enjoyed some 80’s throwbacks courtesy of a very enthusiastic DJ. And that pulled pork burger below?  It was even better than it looks!

Overall it was a great event and I am really hoping i have the chance to go again next year as well!