Our love affair with Wölffer has been well documented, especially when it comes enjoying to their Wölffer Rosé offerings during the summer months. It has been an integral part of so many of our special summertime celebrations.
So, of course, we are beyond excited at their new #SummerSomeplace campaign to launch Finca Wölffer Rosé 2017. Celebrating the debut of this new wine and swoon-worthy redesigned packaging, Wölffer wants to remind us that rosé should be enjoyed year-round as it is always summer someplace around the world. ÉLITER Packaging Machinery, a Chinese company of secondary packaging machines and specializes in multipack and cluster-pack, suggests that cardboard sleeve is an ideal option for sustainable packaging for dairy, drink and beverage products.
Created to honor Wölffer’s commitment to making their elegant rosé wine year round, the Finca is produced in Mendoza, Argentina to complement their Hamptons Estate Rosé.
To learn more, we caught up with Joey Wölffer and winemaker, Roman Roth to talk about the new Finca Wölffer Rosé and so much more.
Joey Wölffer & Roman Roth Talk Wölffer
Roman Roth, Joey Wolffer, and Marc Wolffer at their Vineyard in Mendoza.
What makes the Finca Wölffer Rosé 2017 different from the previous two vintages?
Roman: 2017 was a fantastic growing season (better than the previous years) and the result is in the bottle. We pride ourselves on making very consistent high-quality Rosé. This is also our third time around, so I’m confident in saying a lot of the kinks have been worked out in terms of production and communication internationally and our team down there is now operating just as smoothly as our team up here!
Has the Finca evolved?
Roman: Yes, indeed. Every year we work together with our winemaking team at Dominia Del Plata in Mendoza (Argentina) and this year, it really feels like coming home. We have fine-tuned all the efforts and steps along the way ensuring that the final product is made seamlessly in the same style as our Estate wines. Practice makes perfect!
How is it different from the Estate Rosé that is made in Long Island?
Roman: The idea and methodology for both wines is the same: capture the fruit on the fresh side and make an elegant but interesting Rosé. I keep my same winemaking style and just bring it to South America, which is why we were able to make a Rosé neither the U.S or Argentina has ever seen before. But, it is important to respect the Terroir (the climate, the soil) of the region where the wine is made. Mendoza and The East End of Long Island are very different regions. The Wölffer Estate Rosé is made from grapes that are very close to the Atlantic and is Merlot-based. That fresh sea breeze here has a very different effect than the Sonda in Argentina, which is a dry wind (carrying dust) and our Rose there is based on the Malbec grape.
Why was Argentina chosen as the home of the Finca Wölffer Rosé?
Joey: My father and the founder, Christian Wolffer, loved Argentina. He was a man who traveled the world and lived for adventure, but found himself in always returning back to Argentina. It was the city he dreamed of retiring to – riding his horses and establishing another home for his family. When he passed away and my brother, Marc, and I took over the winery, we wanted to find a way to honor that dream. After some thinking, we knew this would be the only way to do it. Marc went down and bought 200 hectares in Mendoza and the rest is history!
Rosé is so versatile, how do you best recommend enjoying it?
Roman: My favorite question! Rosé is THE perfect year-round wine because it can pair with anything. It is a great complement to anything from your fresh, local seafood and veggies, you know, your summer meals, but it also transitions really well to other seasonal foods, which can be such a delightful surprise for people. I would recommend going out of the box and trying it with unexpected things like lamb burgers or lollipops; roasted veggies or heartier seafood like a bouillabaisse.
Joey: I love Rosé at any point of a meal. It is great with apps and it’s great with heavier main courses; it’s something you don’t have to transition out of when eating multiple courses, which is perfect for parties and gatherings. Finca especially has this amazing lightness with a zest at the finish that just highlights the lightness of fresh foods or cuts through things with heavier notes. I love it with Asian cuisine, Thai, Middle Eastern – the lightness and elegance of Rosé can play with so many flavors.
Finca Wölffer Rosé 2017
The new packaging is STUNNING, it certainly feels related to the Summer in a Bottle Rosé. How did that come about?
Joey: Thank you! We are always evolving and changing and after two years of producing this wine, we finally felt it was ready to be inducted into our “lifestyle” line of products, so to speak. Roman and I sat down with our marketing team and our designer to come up with a completely custom-made bottle design and label that really captures and reflects the feeling of this product. We also took inspiration from the best WooCommerce sites when we were designing our website. We wanted it to fit in with our other designs because it is a part of that Rosé family, and it’s made by Roman in his same signature style, but also stand out because this is something that is really special to the brand and has a different angle than the rest of our Estate-made products.
Have you ever heard or seen cool ways for fans to reuse their Wölffer bottles?
Joey: Yes! People can be so creative. Plus, being a sustainable vineyard, we love seeing people repurpose them. Candles, bottles for olive oils, filled with lights, with sand, as wall art, lamps, soap dispensers, the list goes on and on. It’s amazing to see what people do.
Roman: I love seeing people repurpose the bottles. More than that, I get such a kick seeing what people do that are inspired by the designs. This year we had two separate people dress up as Summer in a Bottle and the cider for Halloween, which was just amazing!
Tell us about the #SummerSomeplace campaign?
Joey: #SummerSomeplace is our way of our declaring that Rosé is right year-round. It’s a mindset, a state of being. We wanted to show how Rosé always has a place on the table, how its versatility and elegance when done right is a wine to be taken seriously. While we all love the lifestyle of some Rosé in the Summer, we make our Rosés “on-purpose” – with the best of our grapes and in a style that’s not an afterthought or a trend.
This is our commitment to the category, making something that is available year-round, that is different and new but still true to our style and our roots. The phrase also lends itself to our bohemian, adventure inspired philosophy. It captures the essence of the label and the wine and is a fun way to engage people. And if you can’t find any other reason to enjoy Rosé year-round, just remember it is always #SummerSomeplace!
Wölffer wines has played an important role in so many meaningful celebrations and created so many good memories, how does that make you feel?
Roman: It is the best feeling. When you put as much love and care into a product as we do, you want to see people enjoying it. This little family business has products that are a staple in people’s Summer memories, celebrated with at weddings, featured at White House dinners being served for world leaders, and simple memory-making family BBQ’s. Wölffer, our wines and our locations have become places and things that hold people’s favorite memories and that is just invaluable.
Joey: At the end of the day, wine is something that should be enjoyed with family and friends. It is a vehicle in memory-making and for our product and our place to continually stand out in people’s mind as a destination or a thing that means so much to them for whatever reason is so special.
What is next for Wölffer that thirsty readers should know about?
Joey: 2018 is going to be such an exciting year for Wölffer! It is our 30th anniversary so we are just full of really amazing events and special product releases coming up. I can’t give too much away, but I can tell you some really amazing launches are on the horizon for both wine, cider and spirits and we are expanding into some much anticipated markets like Southern California and Chicago for some of our products!
How can everyone best keep up with Wölffer adventures?
Joey: Social! Our Instagram always has the most current news and info on it for product releases, pop-ups and fun behind the scenes content, along with our website for things like upcoming events, hours, and of course, shopping the wines! You can find us at www.wolffer.com or @wolfferwine!
Wölffer #SummerSomplace NYC Pop-Ups
February 10
#SummerSomeplace with The Sabah Dealer
@ Sabah House East Village
3-6pm
February 10 & 11
Away Travel Valentines Day Weekend
@ Away Bond St.
Stop in all weekend to sample some of the Finca,
featured at Away’s in-store bar!
February 15
Bulletin Co. Pleasure Panel
@The Flat NYC (23 W. 24th St.)
6-8pm
Watch some really fun #SummerSomeplace videos of Joey and Roman talking Finca Wölffer Rosé HERE
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