With the weather warming up, it’s time to chill the rosé. In the past few years, this pink-hued wine has gained tremendous popularity with wine lovers who want a great flavoured drink but are also looking for something that is just a touch lighter.
Rosé is made with red grapes with minimal skin contact, so a little of the red colour is extracted from the skins. This creates a drink with just a touch of the fruity berry notes from red wine without the serious tannin structure from the skins. Rosé does not need cellaring, is best served chilled, and can be poured over ice with a dash of soda to make a refreshing spritzer. Rosé can be made with residual sugar, creating a sweeter style of wine, or it can be fermented until it is bone dry. Grape varieties from pinot noir to shiraz are used to produce a different style of rosé, making them easy to match with seafood, poultry, vegetable dishes, pasta and red meats. Some are fermented to make lighter-alcohol rosés, while some have the alcohol removed. Whatever the case, make sure there is a choice of rosés in the fridge this season to offer a selection of one of the world’s fastest-growing drink categories.
From Veneto, Italy, comes this stylish zero alcohol sparkling drink that is soft pink in colour and fresh and fruity with hints of floral bouquets. On the palate, it is sweet and rounded with a delicate prosecco-like spritz that gives a lovely light, refreshing quality. A great drink to kick off the night or blend with high ingredients to make a light-bright mocktail. A grown-up drink for those who don’t want to drink alcohol.
Wow! This rosé from Barristers Block is made from tempranillo grapes grown in the Mediterranean climate of South Australia’s McLaren Vale. This Spanish variety gives the grapes a delicate floral character. Add to this a stunning array of summer fruit and berry aromas plus floral notes, spice, almond blossom and rosewater, and you get a beautiful rosé that is deliciously fresh with a vibrant finish. A drink to keep wine lovers happy and those who want a glass of something fun, bright and interesting.
Down south of Italy, nestled between Puglia and Calabria, is the beautiful region of forests and mountains called Basilicata. The region’s climate is moderated by both the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas making it perfect for growing the aglianico variety of grapes. The beautiful musky aroma carries through on this sweet, delicate rosé with hints of apple and citrus. Bright pink in colour with a medium body and balanced acid, it has a persistent finish making it the perfect drink to have with poultry dishes and seafood such as calamari. Lovely to drink on its own, it can be topped with soda to make a refreshing spritz.
Capel Vale is near Busselton, south of Perth in Western Australia, a region renowned for its stunning red wines. This crisp, clean rosé was made with the alternative red variety malbec, giving lifted aromas of strawberry, toffee apple and even hints of rose petal. It has a lovely pink blush, a plush palate and a refreshing finish. This is a rosé that sings of late spring days. Serve with entrée dishes, cheese and charcuterie and casual wood-fired pizza and pasta.
Made in the globally recognised home of prosecco in the Treviso region of the Veneto hinterland, Bottega prosecco DOC rosé is a bright pink sparkling drink. The perfect way to kick off an event or special meal, it has a fine and persistent bead that tickles the palate. The fruity aromas carry notes of apple, white peach, wild strawberries and a whiff of citrus. It’s fresh, delicate and fragrant on the palate, with those lovely fruity aromas lingering for some time after the first sip.
