Tasting wines under a controlled environment, with proper temperature, lighting, and glassware can give you different results when the same wines are sampled in a restaurant or other uncontrolled environment.  I opened these BC wines, Solvero Pinot Gris 2023 and Solvero Rosé 2023, at home and tasted them.  I also sampled these wines at a restaurant this summer.  There was dimmed lighting, wine at unknown temperatures, an unknown level of decanting, and many aromas from the fragrant food being served around me. Do you think there were major differences in these wines’ aromas and flavours?

Let me tell you about these wines and any differences or similarities with my tasting in a restaurant.

My Wine Tasting Notes

Solvero Pinot Gris 2023 (BC $25)

From the winery, “Harvesting…in mid-October, the small clusters were gently whole cluster pressed to release a lower volume of juice with a high degree of clarity. The fermentation was cool and extended over a 3 week period until dryness. The wine was aged in a mixture of stainless steel and neutral French oak barrels for 4 months prior to bottling.”

Appearance: A medium-intensity clear mix of straw and lemon colour in the glass.
Nose: Medium intensity aromas of toast with a lesser amount of stone fruits and pear in particular behind the toastiness. Lighter aromas after decanting, but the bonus is that the prominent toastiness has disappeared.  You now get stone fruit and a touch of honey aromas.
Palate: This wine was dry, fuller body with a round, smooth thick mouthfeel.  Medium acidity.  Quite a toasty flavour with light stone fruit, pears and maybe a touch of floral on the palate.  Also, a touch of grape stem bitterness toward the finish. Medium body with a less thick mouthfeel after decanting.  Light stone fruit flavour, some minerality, and the disappearance of the toastiness. 
Finish: Medium-plus length with toast and stone fruit flavours, plus touches of honey and some grape stem tannins. No toastiness on the finish after decanting.  Just stone fruit, honey, and touches of oak, floral, and pepperiness.

This wine really benefitted from decanting.  The toastiness was quite strong on the nose and palate upon first opening which covered up the stone fruit component.  Decanting dissipated the toastiness and let the stone fruit aromas and flavours come through.

Rating: – with decanting.  Lighter aromas of stone fruits and honey.  This wine was dry, medium body with a round, smooth mouthfeel.  Medium acidity.  Light stone fruit flavours, plus some minerality.  Medium-plus length.

Solvero Rosé 2023 (BC $25)

Made from 100% Pinot Noir grapes.  From the winery, “Hand harvested in mid-September and gently destemmed. The must was carefully assessed for flavour, colour and tannin during this phase of skin contact and after 3 hours the juice was pressed off the skins. The wine was then cool-fermented to dryness in stainless steel.”

Appearance: Clear, medium-intensity salmon colour.
Nose: Medium-minus intensity aromas of candied rhubarb, strawberries, red fruits and grape stem. Mostly rhubarb aroma after decanting.
Palate: This wine is dry with a thick, round, buttery smooth mouthfeel.  Mainly rhubarb flavour with lesser amounts of red fruit and oak.  Some grape stem bitterness toward the finish.  Medium-minus acidity and light tannins.  No change to the palate after decanting.
Finish: A medium-length finishing with light tart red fruit flavours, some grape stem bitterness and pepperiness at the very end.  Light tannins and buttery mouthfeel to the end. No change after decanting.

A straightforward rose wine with rhubarb and red fruit aromas and flavours. No need to decant.

Rating:   A rosé wine with lighter aromas of rhubarb, red fruits and a touch of grape stem.  It is dry with a thicker, round, buttery smooth mouthfeel.  Primarily rhubarb flavour with lesser amounts of red fruit and oak.  A touch of grape stem bitterness. Lower acidity.  Medium length.

Tasting Notes Comparison

Restaurant Notes

I checked my photos from my restaurant tasting and noted that the proper wine glasses were served with each wine, so variation in tasting would be affected by decant time, wine temperature, lighting, and surrounding food aromas.

Solvero Wines Pinot Gris 2023 – It has fresh, medium-intensity stone fruit aromas plus some grape stem.  Medium body, round and thicker mouthfeel.  Mineral.  Fresh stone fruits and some grape stem on the palate.

When I first opened the Pinot Gris at home I wondered about the strong toastiness on the nose and palate, but then was gratified when the toastiness went away and the stone fruit aromas and flavours came through.  My decanted notes are very similar to the notes from the restaurant.

Solvero Wines Rosé 2023 – A light, bright pink salmon colour.  Light strawberry and strawberry leaf aromas.  Medium body, smooth with a viscous mouthfeel.  Rhubarb, red fruits and minerality on the palate.  Tart, brisk acidity.  Medium-plus length finishing with tart red fruit, medium pepperiness and light tannins. –  

With regard to the rose wine, the rhubarb aromas were stronger at my home tasting.  The acidity also felt lighter compared to the tasting in the restaurant.  I spoke about strawberry aromas from the restaurant tasting that I did not pick up on at home either.  I did not light tannins and some pepperiness on the finish with this wine.  So overall, the structural components were the same, but some variation in flavours and aromas.

Where Can I Buy These Wines?

You can purchase these wines online via the Solvero Wines website. The Rosé wine is available at Marquis Wine Cellars. The Pinot Gris is available at Everything Wine stores. 

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