Attention thirsty readers: The Rosé Mansion is back, and it's bigger, better and possibly even pinker than ever. If you thought last year's pop-up two-story mansion (mansion!) in New York was quite enough space devoted to celebrating the ubiquitous and beloved pink drink, ya thought wrong. After fully selling out the wine wonderland during its 16-week opening last summer, creators Tyler Balliet and Morgan First decided to bring it back, double the size and bump it up a few notches: Opening June 1, Rosé Mansion 2.0 is 32,000 square feet, with 14 themed rooms where attendees can goof off, learn some wine science and, of course, drink pink. Last night, Unfiltered headed to Midtown to get a look around.
Photo credit: Brianne Garrett and James Colletta
Among the new rooms is Cleopatra's Palace, a trippy time-travel back to ancient Egypt, where we found out the queen had a fondness for the fizzy light red we now call Brachetto. There's also a nuts-and-bolts "winery" vat room where wine is served straight from the tank, a "Pursuit of Sweetness" room where tipplers follow a floor flowchart to discover how their brains affect their preference for sweet or bitter wine flavors, and a '60s-themed "acid test" room that explains the science behind acidity in wine.
There's also RoséLand, a large open space with cabanas, swings, a picnic area, tree houses and tarot readings, where drinkers can chill. And of course there's a wine bar featuring the mansion's 120-selection wine list of rosé and Champagne to pair with tacos from Taco Dumbo. "Instead of just having a wine bar, we wanted to really make a wine-themed amusement park—a really great way for people to get together and have fun and celebrate wine and friendship and take some photos and run around and ultimately learn something about wine in the process," Balliet told Unfiltered.
The experience may be what Instagram, birthday and bachelorette (or bachelor!) party dreams are made of, but for Balliet, the learning experience is just as important. "Morgan and I basically designed and created all of the education ourselves; all of the graphics you see in the wall, I wrote all that," said Balliet. "We're not just some random people that think rosé is fun." That said: Rosé is pretty fun. Check it out.
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