Wine of the Week: Beneduce Vineyards 2024 Rosé Pet Nat
July 8, 2025: It pushes the envelope of pet nat pricing, but that doesn't affect this blaufränkisch rosé example's unique deliciousness
Are you enjoying The Cork Report? Do you want to support independent wine writing? Consider upgrading to a paid subscription.
I’m always leery of discussing wine pricing too often or in too severe a tone. I don’t own or work at a winery, so I don’t know exactly what the grapes used for any given wine cost the winery or exactly how many people-hours go into the production of one wine or another.
Many people like to talk about “sustainability” in wine, but being financially sustainable is often the under-discussed part of that. To truly be sustainable, I think a winery needs to make money while also providing a living wage to its employees. It’s one reason I’m willing to pay more for local wines made at wineries where I know that’s happening.
That all said, my “Wine of the Week” — Beneduce Vineyards 2024 Rosé Pet Nat ($50*) pushes the envelope for what I’m willing to pay for a pet nat. I didn’t pay for this bottle — remember that the * next to the price in that sentence means that this wine was sent to me for review.
I could have chosen a different wine for WoTW, but this one is just so darned delicious, and winemaker Mike Beneduce is truly one of the great pet nat makers in North America.
He made 80 cases of this 100% blaufränkisch rosé sparkler, which starts out with cranberry and red cherry aromas with a subtle note of earthy white pepper. Clean and red berry-driven, the medium-to-light-bodied palate is frothy and fresh with refreshing acidity and a juicy mouthfeel. Red cherry and raspberry notes dominate the flavor profile, but there are hints of fresh orange peel and more white pepper, too.
It’s exactly the kind of wine I crave with grilled chicken or burgers — and on Thanksgiving. Even at $50, I don’t think it will make it to November, though.
Beneduce Vineyards 2024 Rosé Pet Nat
Region: New Jersey
Grape(s): Blaufränkisch
ABV: 12.1%
TA: 6.5 g/L
pH: 3.2
Rating: 91 pts
Price: $50* (August 2025 Release)
*Sample Provided by Winery