The Warmer Months Mean Fresh Rosé Time

Waking up in the morning lately and the sun is up earlier, the sun is setting later, the days are getting warmer and we’re all excited to exit our caves and have a drink with friends and family.

A growing trend for our drink of choice is not just in wine but of a particular variety … Rosé.

Leading wine retailer Cellarmasters has seen an increase of 38.5 percent in rosé sales in the last 12 months and one of the reasons that we can see why is that it works so well with a variety of foods or is fantastic on it’s own.

We’ve been sampling three Australian Rosé wines and enjoyed them all despite their differences.

Blood Brother Republic Mclaren Vale Rosé 2017

This easy to recognise bottle was the first one we opened and we were tempted to put the others away and dig our heels in. It was a very easy to drink wine, loved by the males and females at the table. It’s full of vibrant fruit flavours with low tannins and a refreshing after taste.

This example of Rosé will cost you $179.88 for a case of 12 bottles.

Jim Barry Jb Rosé 2017

The JB was assumed to be similar to the Blood Brother due to the colour and consistency of the wine in the glass. Rosé seems to surprise you though and there was a telling difference between the two. While being very fruit forward it also had some savoury notes to it and had a creamier mouth feel to the previous wine. We enjoyed this one more with the cold meats and cheese.

This example of Rosé will cost you $219 for a case of 12 bottles.

Black Wattle Mt Benson Rosé Cuvée 2016

Immediately when you look at this bottle you know the game has changed. It’s not a screw cap, it’s like a beer top that needs a bottle opener. The style of bottle also tells you we might be in for a sparkling. We pour the glasses and it isn’t extremely oxidised, but a lovely light sparkling. On the lips it’s relatively smooth with a darker fruit flavour and less sweetness, it finishes with this fascinating buttery popcorn in the mouth and we’re going in for more.

This example of Rosé will cost you $105 for six bottles

Tips on selecting your Rosé

“When it comes to buying the perfect bottle of rosé, there isn’t simply one type of rosé, with a range of different styles to choose between. But by paying more attention to what the wine label reads, you can find the right rosé for your palate,” said Christine Ricketts, Cellar Director at Cellarmasters. Here are a few of her tips that we loved…

Colour doesn’t matter

Did you think you prefer the pale coloured rosés due to their crispness? Think again! The colour of a rosé wine is not an indication of its sweetness levels – some of the driest rosés can be hot pink in colour!

Vintage

Despite the high acid in rosé, it is not a wine made for cellaring, so look for what vintage the wine is. Vintage means the year the grapes used for the wine were harvested, and the rule for rosé wine is the fresher the wine the better, so opt for the latest vintage possible, preferably a 2017 or 2018.

Sweetness level

The majority of rosé wines are made in a dry style with high acid, but there are a range of sweeter styles available. Rosé d’Anjou is a slightly sweet wine from the Loire Valley region, while the Americans call their sweeter Rosé styles “blush”.

International rosé wines

The best rosé wine is considered to come from France and Spain, with the two countries producing the greatest volumes. New Zealand rosé wines are also gaining popularity in Australia, and these are often made with Pinot Noir grapes in a delicate, super crisp style.