WEST LOOP — City Winery is seeing Pilsen Pink.
That’s the name of the winery’s first ever house-made wine, an Oregon-sourced pinot noir rosé described by Head Winemaker Robert Kowal as medium-bodied with notes of blood orange, red grapefruit and creamy vanilla.
“I’m very fond of rosés and I like making them. The pinot noir rosés are very close to my heart,” said Kowal, who trained for years at a Portland winery.
City Winery plans to create multiple neighborhood-inspired wines. Kowal said the “fun, irreverent and artsy” Pilsen hood matches up perfectly with the rosé.
In April, the winery will also release a “Morgan Station” sauvignon blanc, named after the Morgan Pink and Green line “L” station.
About 110 gallons of Pilsen Pink were made, with about 22 cases being sold for retail and the rest up for grabs at City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph St.
A portion of the bottle sales will go to Bright Pink, a Chicago-based nonprofit that focuses on early detection for both ovarian and breast cancer in young women.
Through April, City Winery will serve a special pink cocktail along with “Think Pink” dessert offerings, which include house-made white truffle macaroons with a pink dusting.
The winery will also host a “Think Pink. Drink Pink” rosé wine-tasting party at 7 p.m. April 1. The $60 event includes rosé tastings from France, Italy, America and Spain and promises that you will be able to “fight wine racism” associated with pink wine by the time you leave.
