By Bridget Hallinan
Now in its second year, the Rosé Mansion is twice as big and serving over 120 bottles of rosé, drawing from every major wine-producing region in the world.
Now that New York City’s Rosé Mansion is open for its second year, you may see a flood of pink pictures on your Instagram feed. Friends will lounge in the bathtubs strewn with rose petals, dive into bubbly ball pits, and upload Boomerangs popping out of a giant birthday cake, all the while managing to sip rosé, somehow. But Instagram-bait aesthetics aside, don’t forget that this mansion is also meant to be educational. Guests can find out whether they prefer sweet or dry wines, thanks to an interactive quiz painted on the floor; they’ll also get to try diluted acid in the “Acid room” to learn about the main acids in wine. (Tartaric, malic, and citric, in case you were wondering.) Of course, hands-on education also means tasting rosé, and there’s plenty. The house wine list, curated by co-founder Tyler Balliet, currently has over 120 bottles, drawing from every major wine-producing region in the world.
First, you start off slow. As you wind through the mansion’s 14 rooms, you’ll receive eight one-ounce pours of wine in your very own Rosé Mansion wine glass. The “Garden” room with the aforementioned bathtubs has a 2018 California Rosé from Apothic available to taste—the attendant told me it was perfect for summer as he topped up my glass, the rosé bolstered by hints of watermelon. A L'Agnostique Rosé de Cinsault complements a pour of tartaric acid in the Acid room, while the “Sweet room,” where you discover your genetic disposition towards sweet, semi-sweet, or dry wine, has three wines accordingly: Quady Red Electra Moscato (2017), Liquid Geography Bierzo Mencía Rosado (2018), and Plume Wines Terre Siciliane Rosato (2018). However, the real drinking starts in RoséLand—“part playground, part party space,” which features New York’s largest selection of rosé and Impossible tacos to boot.
The space, outfitted with cabanas and picnic tables, is where you hang out at the end of your experience—and while you can get a tarot card reading or play on the chandelier swing, we suggest heading straight to the wine bar. On any given day, 25 to 30 rosés are available by the glass, and prices start at $8. A quick glance at the dizzying wine list finds bottles sourced from Croatia, Lebanon, Provence, Macedonia, Turkey, the Finger Lakes, Puglia, Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, Chile, South Africa, and many, many more places—as an added bonus, the 20-bottle reserve list is priced at standard retail markup, not restaurant, which saves you some money.
On a recent walkthrough of the mansion before opening weekend, Balliet told me that they’re still looking to add even more bottles to the master list, with natural wines from California and France on the horizon, as well as Pét-Nats and vintage grower champagnes. He says they’re also looking to partner with more women winemakers, who currently compose about 30 to 40 percent of the list (which you can find below). There’s also a tasting bar (“opening very soon”) in the Rosé Mansion’s future, with four different flights available each day. It’s perfect if you’re looking to try a few varieties at once—each flight includes three wines in five-ounce pours, and prices start at $15 per flight. Afterwards, you can make your way over to the Taco Dumbo stand and wolf down some chips and guacamole, with a few spicy tuna nori tacos for good measure—then come back the following weekend to do it all over again.
Tickets to the Rosé Mansion are available now, and can be purchased through September 30 at $45 a pop (or $35 before 5 p.m. on the weekdays).
In the meantime, Mt. Beautiful's 2018 Rosé is one of the wines on the opening list to help you get in the mood. It's an honor to be selected and included in this new popular event!