Karkadé Has Been Here
TASTING NOTES: “Strawberry, Citrus Fruit, Hibiscus, Watermelon” (AbV 11.5%)
VARIETALS: 100% Syrah
BARRELS: Stainless steel tanks.
PAIRS WITH: Fries, Salad, Thai, Chocolate Cake
THAT REMINDS ME OF: Hibiscus.
Hibiscus is doing a lot of heavy lifting in the world of “things that are supposed to make you feel good.” It’s in the tea. It’s in the mocktail. It’s on the spa menu between “warm stone massage” and “sound bath.” At some point in the last decade, hibiscus quietly became the universal symbol of “this is a wholesome treat for you, specifically, and you deserve it.” I’m not complaining. I’m just noting the workload.
The flower itself has been at this a long time. Hibiscus sabdariffa — the tart, crimson-calyx variety you’re actually drinking when you order hibiscus tea — has been cultivated across West Africa, the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia for centuries. In Egypt it’s called karkadé and served both hot and iced, sometimes ceremonially. In Mexico it’s jamaica (say it: ha-MY-ca), a staple agua fresca ingredient so common it barely registers as exotic anymore. In many places it predates the wellness industrial complex by about a thousand years, which means hibiscus has been nodding patiently while the West “discovers” it approximately every fifteen years.
The color is the whole thing, really. That deep, almost aggressive magenta — it bleeds into everything it touches like it has a point to prove. Which makes it a slightly funny note in a pale salmon rosé. Hibiscus showed up, took one look at the stainless steel tank, and said fine, I’ll be subtle this time. Uncharacteristic, but appreciated.
PRODUCER PODCAST: Wonders Rosé Wine - Vin de France (1:21)
ICYMI, you have two choices:
- Worried Summer heat might get to your wine before your wine gets to you? Order from the sale linked here, and we’ll get it to you at a cooler time of year!
- Want it shipped now? Every package during the summer will have protected temp control ground shipping for much of the country that takes longer but will ensure safe delivery. Expect up to two weeks for delivery. Now through the September 12th offer.
