I bet around now you’re hankering for the thermometer to start rising and a guarantee for eternal new seasonal feels. To get out onto the patio and soak in a bit of warmth and vitamin D.
Maybe shake out the picnic rug and gather around a few besties to share some tasty snacks.
Roll back the pool cover and dangle in the toes.
More of those delicious little bites, please.
And a glass of thirst-quenching wine.
Only one style is synonymous with all that springtime action – a Rosé, don’t you reckon?
And that goes for practically any situation, across all ages and gender divides.
Only a few years ago Australian Rosé was, more often than not, dismissed as a simple glass of “giggle juice”, probably on the sweet side and looked down upon by the wine snobs of the world.
But in the past decade there’s been an impressive revolution in Rosé styles, inspired by the more sophisticated, drier and paler pink wines of France’s Provence regions.
It seemed crazy to many of our smarter winemakers that we live and play in our sunny outdoors, eating more Mediterranean and Asian foods than ever, but still the one wine that suits such a lifestyle across the board was sadly underwhelming.
And mostly thrown together by bigger wine businesses to plug a perceived market need rather than a respectable wine style to be genuinely appreciated in its own right. Enter the new world of Rosé, where wines are now grown, harvested and made to satisfy more contemporary gastronomic palates.
Selecting a range of Italian and Spanish varieties such as Sangiovese, Tempranillo and Nebbiolo, as well as more traditional Adelaide Hills variations from Pinot Noir and warmer region Grenache from Langhorne Creek.
Made smartly, they can deliver dry, or at least barely a note of natural sweetness with blush pink, perhaps salmon, or pale onion skin colours, with bright red berry flavours and refreshing, mouth-watering drinking appeal.
These are certainly the key elements in good Rosé, according to Peter Leske, co-winemaker at Hills based La Linea and one of the first wave of “serious” new generation Rosé creators, choosing to specifically craft theirs from the Tempranillo variety.
“It needs to smell like Rosé and taste like Rosé, which is definitely about berry fruit,” Peter says.
“That sounds simple, but there are a lot of Rosé wines out there that are bland and we don’t want to make bland Rosé.”
The La Linea crew, comprising Peter, Alanna Pepper and David LeMire, work their Rosé with mainly one of the new generation of varieties now starring in pink, Tempranillo from the Llangibby Vineyard between
Mt Barker and Echunga, this year also adding a tiny amount of another Spanish origin grape, Mencia from Lenswood.
They harvest the fruit early to keep the highlight the crunchy and crisp feel to the final wine – that fresh red berry and red apple vibe Peter so desires – and make it very simply in the winery.
“It’s all about letting the fruit speak,” he says.
Much of the same vineyard and winemaking techniques are employed by Tom Keelan in Langhorne Creek, whose El Desperado Rosé is a blend of Sangiovese and Tempranillo, picked at different times, the earlier Tempranillo held cold in the winery until its partner is harvested, then the two co-fermented.
A small proportion of the wine also goes into oak barrels for just a month to build a touch of palate texture.
“What I love about these two varieties is that they are quite savoury, so their dryness is not driven purely by acidity.
“I want the wine to be fresh and bright, with the colour that tells you that as well,” Tom says.
“There’s a fair bit of alchemy in the winemaking when you work with two varieties.”
He also notes that consumers have become really savvy when it comes to their Rosé and, with the market now very competitive, the best wines have to be, and are, “bloody good” and very smart value.
Inga Lidums from Lobethal Road winery, based at
Mt Torrens with vineyards there and at Woodside, has noticed a definite turnaround in the way cellar door visitors are reacting to their Rosé, made from the more traditional Hills Pinot Noir variety.
“They may have already written it off as a sweet “girly” wine, but they taste it and are really impressed that it has great balance and while it is a lighter style, it’s still got substance,” Inga says.
“It’s got good fruit character, which is something Pinot Noir brings, as well as a perfume to the nose.
“There’s an elegance and a finesse to the wine – it’s quite a sensual variety.”
Even though it is a delicate style, the best Rosé wines, no matter their variety, are extremely versatile as food-friendly wines.
Their freshness and palate crispness, when combined with decent berry and apple flavours – that “substance” winemakers talk about – makes for great companionship with all kinds of meals, from snacks to robust dishes.
“It’s popular now, even in winter,” Inga says.
“But it comes into its own on a lovely spring day in the sunshine.”
