Endless Summer Flavor – that’s what this year’s limited-time seasonal flavors are all about. We have taken flavor artistry to a whole new level with our All Day Rosé, Pi-Ño Colada and Mojito Mocktail. Our Innovation team layered aromas and flavors to deliver all of the flavor of these classic summertime drinks, without the alcohol. Here’s a behind-the-scenes peek at our flavor artistry …
All Day Rosé – The Best of Rosé All Day Long
In the fall of 2022, we kicked off a project unlike any other. It was complicated, innovative, and involved a partnership. The idea was a brainstorm of our executive team who had a famed Napa Valley music, wine and food festival on their minds – a rosé wine flavored sparkling water to rival the finest bottles of sparkling rosé. And we were off! We enlisted renowned sommelier Anthony Washington to advise us during this innovation project. Our Innovation team was excited for this new challenge through uncharted territory.
As we normally do, the team set out to identify a “target” flavor – which meant tasting a lot of rosé. (It’s hard work here at Waterloo!) We wanted to make sure the chosen profile was refined, but also palatable to the everyday rosé consumer. The sommelier sent a range of rosé profiles and we did tastings together. It was like rosé bootcamp – we trained our palates to recognize and identify the subtle nuances in wine.
Incredible Range of Rosé
For 7 months, we tasted and mixed, then tasted some more. From inexpensive canned rosés and common bottles you see at every store to funky natural ferments and high-end aspirational brands – so many rosés! Rosé wines are about process rather than a grape varietal, given skins remain soaking with the grapes for a shorter time than in red wine production. We found there was an incredible range of flavors, sweetness, tartness, acidity, minerality, and body.
As we began to narrow down the qualities we wanted to target in our Waterloo Rosé – balanced complexity, top notes of red fruit, light bright citrus, nuanced earthiness, semi-dry on the finish – we continued our work in the lab. Every month, we held a tasting call with Anthony to taste through our work and discuss. What was working? What did we need more of? Less of? What was missing?
Iterate 200 Times
Then we would return to the lab and experiment, pushing the limits of our flavor library. More red fruit? We tried strawberry, raspberry, red apple, pomegranate, acai, cherry, watermelon. Subtle stone fruit? We tried peach, nectarine, apricot, plum, white cherry. Added complexity? We experimented with rhubarb, coriander, black pepper, and bergamot. Measure, taste, rinse, repeat. All in all, we tested well over 200 iterations on this year-long journey.
Anthony Says …
“I couldn’t be more pleased with Waterloo’s All Day Rosé,” says sommelier Anthony Washington. “After many hours of tastings to help Waterloo’s Innovation team isolate the unique flavors of a complex sparkling Rosé wine, they replicated them masterfully – without the alcohol. They layered aromas and flavors to deliver a non-alcoholic sparkling Rosé experience that is truly special – and innovative to the category. It was my pleasure to work with the team on this project.”
Waterloo All Day Rosé is unique and nuanced. On the nose, you get berry and red fruit with hints of earthiness and subtle floral. On the palate, it is red-fruit forward followed by nuanced citrus, stone fruit, and earthy complexity. There is some lingering minerality on the finish. All Day Rosé leans dry, with just the right amount of sweetness notes to balance. This complex flavor profile delivers on all the best of rosé wine, without the alcohol so you can enjoy any time, all day long.
Mixologist Tip: Serve chilled on its own or with Aperol
