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Mission Codename: Bubbly for Amor

Operative: Agent Sparkle

Objective: Find a perfect sparkling rose for our operative’s Valentine’s Day covert missions.

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Amorosa Bella

Wine Subject: Mendocino Sparkling Brut Rose

Winemaker: Penelope Gadd-Coster

Backgrounder: Mendocino County, just north of Sonoma County has numerous great wineries most notably towards Ukiah and along the Russian River Valley inland as well as the Navarro River along Anderson Valley. The sparkling wine tradition int he region dates to the early 1980s when Champagne Louis Reoderer invested in 500 acres int he cooler Anderson Valley. Since that time, this area has been a secret ‘mecca’ for wines of the champenois tradition.

Just in time for the month of “Love”, we welcome back Dr. Charlyn Belluzzo, internationally recognized health and wellness expert, author, and founder Amorosa Bella Winery. Valentines Day is closely approaching, February 14th. It is the perfect time to reignite all of your senses with Dr. Belluzzo’s light and luscious sparkling wine! In Italian, “Amorosa Bella” means beautiful lover. The love affair is with life!

Literally speaking, Amorosa Bella beautiful bottled sparkling wine is the essence of experiencing the full spectrum of “sensuality” using all six of your sense: sight, smell, sound, taste, touch, and intuition.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Warm light pink with very subtle orangish hues and a vibrant effervescence that leaves a fine and moderately persistent mousse followed by an upward cascade of small bubbles that lingers.

Smell – Light and fresh with bright red fruit (strawberry and raspberry) as well as a touch Meyer lemon over soft toasted vanilla creme, white flowers and a tiny hint of limestone minerality.

Feel – This medium-bodied sparkler is nearly dry (soft red fruit sweetness; but not demi-sec) with its smooth tingly bubbles and crisp acidity dancing over the palate. Dry minerality lingers into the finish.

Taste – Balanced crisp acidity of citrus along with fresh and ripe red fruit meld with toasted vanilla and vanilla creme, white floral and soft toasted spice notes and limestone minerality.

Finish – Medium in length, clean and crisp with the red fruit and vanilla fading first followed by the citrus and minerality and lively effervescence that invites another sip.

Conclusion – The Amorosa Bella Mendocino Sparkling Brut Rose is a lovely wine that is light-hearted, fresh and lively on the palate. A perfect way to start (or end) a romantic evening. Pop the cork with your special Valentine’s Day saber and let your cup runneth over. Quite simply a really fun sparkling wine.

Mission Report:

WINEMAKER INTEL BRIEFING DOSSIER

SUBJECT: Dr. Charlyn Belluzzo

WINE EDUCATION: Though classically trained in an academic sense, Dr. Belluzzo has made it her mission to expand our path on the road to wellness by living a sensual life. Dr. Belluzzo and talented winemaker, Penelope Gadd-Coster, handcraft uniquely sensual wines exclusively for Amorosa Bella.

WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY: “Wine is relationship!” True to Amorosa Bella’s Italian family heritage, wine is blended to bring greater pleasure to everyday living. Through a luscious alchemy of elements, wines awaken your senses create intimate personal moments and enliven all gatherings.

WINEMAKER QUOTE: “Living with passion requires igniting the spark. Our sparkling wines flicker, then burst into flame!”

FIRST COMMERCIAL WINE RELEASE: 23 October 2009

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WINEMAKER INTERVIEW

AGENT RED: Greetings, Charlyn! We are thrilled to be showing your Brut Rose, this time around. Thanks so much for taking some time to answer questions for our Operatives today.

DR. CHARLYN BELLUZZO: It is my pleasure!

RED: Was there a specific experience in your life that inspired your love of wine?

CHARLYN: As a scientist and a medical researcher, I am fascinated by the science of our senses. Our senses are primal and have been essential to our survival dating back to the dawn of humankind. As we refined our intellect, we lost touch with our ability to “feel”. Rediscovering your senses is exciting! Wine, particularly sparkling wine, triggers all of your senses.

RED: Who do you make wine for?

CHARLYN: The characteristics of Amorosa Bella wines please some of the most sophisticated wine aficionado, yet the romantic sensual nature of our wines and the enjoyable lifestyle we purvey attracts a new class of young wine enthusiasts.

RED: Please tell me a little bit about the wine we are featuring today.

CHARLYN: Amorosa Bella Sparkling Brut Rosé NV, is ripe strawberry fruit with a hint of cream and spice, describes Amorosa Bella Rosé, a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The mouth is round, with creaminess from the fine mousse. The bright fresh fruit is followed to the finish crisp and clean.

RED: What is your favorite pairing with today’s wine?

CHARLYN: Sparkling wine is ideal for everyday enjoyment; lower alcohol and no residual sugar make Amorosa Bella sparkling wine refreshing to drink alone or a perfect match for many dishes from salads to spicy curry dishes! Try sparkling wine with salty foods like potato chips or popcorn. A dish of fresh fruit or berries, drizzled with sparkling wine becomes a light appetizer or desert. You can really “mix it up” making sparkling wine cocktails!

Try this recipe, a bright confection with a delicate floral aroma:

California Dreaming

1 oz vodka

3 drops orange blossom water

2 oz freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice

½ oz cranberry juice

2 oz Amorosa Bella Sparkling Brut Rosé

1 wedge of grapefruit, for garnish

Combine the vodka, orange blossom water, pink grapefruit juice, and cranberry juice in a cocktail shaker filed with ice and shake until well chilled, and then strain into a flute. Top with Amorosa Bella Sparkling Brut Rosé wine. Garnish with the wedge of grapefruit. Makes 1 cocktail.

RED: In your opinion, what makes the Sonoma Coast so special?

CHARLYN: Amorosa Bella wines are conceived in the heart of Sonoma County, California, nestled along the famed Russian River, where the beauty of lush hillsides laced with delicate rows of grapevines and alluring aromas fill your senses. Temperate weather; warm sunny days and nights cooled by the ocean fog as it rolls in most summer evenings infuses the grapes and the people living in the region with a unique sweetness that is intoxicating making easy conversation with friends and lovers.

RED: What is occupying your time at the winery these days?

CHARLYN: Europe has discovered the everyday pleasures of Amorosa Bella wines! We are now distributing in several European regions. During an exclusive wine tasting event on December 1 in Malmö, Sweden, Master French Winemaker, Philippe Gimel, owner of Chemin de Saint Jean Winery in Le Barroux, France (Provence Wine Region) compared Amorosa Bella Sparkling Wines to fine French Champagnes. Mr. Gimel described the wine’s delicate bubbles and refined drinkability, concluding that with Amorosa Bella’s superior quality, yet reasonable cost, the wine deserves to be enjoyed as a daily pleasure!

RED: How would you recommend people approach your wines and wine in general?

CHARLYN: Get to know yourself and explore your own tastes and style as you experience wine. Discover your wine preferences using all of your senses. Consider which wines you would select for yourself to enjoy when no one else is watching. There are no wrong wine choices if your senses are pleased.

RED: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

CHARLYN: We invite you to pop a cork on Amorosa Bella Sparkling Brut Rose` and raise a glass to toast your love affair with life!