Now We Sip Rosé When We Thirsty: Rosé Mansion Recap

@RoseWineMansion

Have you ever visited a huge wine cellar and thought, is this what heaven looks like? A vault full of bottles of wine as far as the eye can see is pretty appealing. With rosé remaining the wine of the summer—”summer water”, as it is sometimes dubbed—who wouldn’t want to visit somewhere that promises tons of varieties of rosé in one central New York location?

Rose’ Mansion first popped up in the city last year. As one of NYC’s popular summer pop-ups, it promised tastings of various rose’s from different regions, with rooms meant to bring out the influencer in all its visitors and dazzle the senses, taste buds and beyond.

This year’s Rosé Mansion did all that and more. Themed as a more literal “journey” or “flight”, you traveled from room to room tasting all kinds of rosé varieties from dry to the sweetest.

You first enter a scene akin to an airport, complete with scattered baggage and a gate waiting area, where you check-in for your “flight”. You then walk through an introduction, much like an airplane safety presentation before being ushered into the first room, where you’re encouraged to grab a glass and get started.

Room #1:

The first room is based on the science of wine. You’re treated to your first glass, a dry Marche Rosato, and given the chance to read up on the intricacies of going from grape to wine. Elaborate test-tubes and beakers set the scene in a lab-like setting, and on the wall are school like lessons write-out in a step-by-step process.

Room #2:

The second room is one with which you may be familiar if you went to last year’s Mansion. Though differently set up, it contains booths in which you could scratch and sniff the various notes you might find in a bottle of rosé. They ranged from floral to sweet and sour.

Room #3:

This room was also a bit similar to one of the rooms from the previous year. Set to look like an old Grecian village, the room contains hieroglyphic elements, ancient vases, old chaise lounges and more. It provided a sample of my favorite rosé of the evening, a bubbly and sweet mix in a deep pink hue.

Room #4:

Sensory overload overtook us as we entered an oasis of 90’s color splattering, where we tasted not only a French rosé, but paired it with gummy worms to help accentuate the flavors within.

Room #5:

One of my favorite part of this pop-ups like this, is when they are able to incorporate illusions. We exited the mansion to a boardwalk painted at such an angle, that it popped out in photos and look pretty dang real. I was almost convinced I was sipping my rosé on a warm, sun-soaked beachfront plank rather than indoors, while the sun was setting.

Room #6:

The Pursuit of Sweetness, as it was so-named, comes with a life-sized board game in which each player is given two choices and has to follow a path based on his or her preferences of flavor. At the end, you are led to the flavor pallete that matches your tastes (dry, semi-dry, or sweet) and your sample is determined by that decision—though if you wanted to veer from what is given, they obliged happily.

Room #7:

From board games to the acting game. The next move took you to a dazzling backstage setting, a scene you witness in Moulin Rouge or Caberet. You had the chance to sit at a make-up counter, don feathered headbands or top-hats, or drape yourself in luxurious robes, all while sipping another French selection.

Room #8:

A favorite from last year, this room sampled yet another dry in a garden-scape, complete with a rose and vine covered canopy bench and baths full of petals.

Room #9:

As I like to call it, the ‘Room of Celebration’ has everyone celebrating like it was their birthday. A giant cake is the main event, with a station to grab confetti to throw as you pop out of it. The room is also adorned with pinatas at every turn. I have to say, a top for our glasses, to protect from the confetti would have come in handy in here.

Room #10:

The final room was definitely the most interactive. It features a large ball pit, with balls looking like the bubbles from a glass of sparkling wine. While a bit hard to wade through, you can’t go wrong with a room that helps everyone recapture their inner child.

At the end of the experience, you can opt to buy a bottle or two and/or indulge in some tacos from @tacodumbo, to soak it all up. They’ve even got a strawberry, rosé-ish, ice cream for tasting.

While I’m not the biggest rosé fan, I definitely appreciated the thought and effort that went into bringing this to life and despite not loving every flavor, I had enough fun in each room to more than make the trip worth my while. If you’re a rosé fan, and I’m guessing you might be, this is definitely a fun trip. If nothing else, you’ll have plenty of new profile photos to choose from!

Rosé Mansion is open Wednesday-Monday and this year it’s located at 111 W 32nd Street, at the corner of 32nd Street and 6th Avenue. The pop-up is open until the end of September, so make sure you get your tickets before summer ends!