To help you celebrate International Rosé Day this Saturday, June 12, Essentials’ Jamie Durrant tastes his way through a unique selection of quality Australian offerings, including alcohol removed, socially responsible, mid-priced gems and premium food-friendly selections.
Witches Falls 2021 Provenance Rosé
Pouring with a delightful peach/blush colour in the glass, Witches Falls Provenance Rosé is a quality offering from Tamborine Mountain’s (Gold Coast hinterland) only working winery. Produced in a classic Provençal style, it’s made from two varietals Mataro (aka Mourvèdre) and Grenache. The blend has created an attractive dry style wine with lifted floral aromatics and a slightly spice-driven palate depth. Like most rosé wines, it’s best not to over-chill this wine, as when it’s slightly under room temperature, it presents a much broader range of fragrances: peach blossom, strawberries, melon and rose petal. A crisp fresh acidity delivers freshness to the front palate. An otherwise round mouthfeel is delightful and finishes with a surprising extended depth of berry flavours – luscious. A class act from one of the Gold Coast region’s most talented winery teams.
4.5 stars
$26
witchesfalls.com.au
2021 Field Blend Rosé P-Series by Patrick of Coonawarra
Bright and fresh aromas of strawberries and floral hints make a clean and refreshing presentation of a pleasingly uncomplicated wine. The blend of Limestone Coast vineyard fruit has produced a delicate wine with a lean palate and light acidity. In the winery, the crushed grapes were left on skins for eight hours to build a vibrant colour. An easy-drinking, low-to-mid-priced, all-rounder that’s worth every penny.
4 stars
$20
patrickofcoonawarra.com
Rochford Victorian Rosé 2021
A delightfully detailed floral bouquet of peach blossom weighted with crushed strawberries and a hint of sage makes this wine one of the forerunners in this group. In my book, aromatics are an essential part of wine enjoyment. And with its well-balanced acidity, there’s a cleanliness and freshness that transports one’s mind to that of a garden’s abundant harvest of strawberries and raspberries filling the air with their scent; it’s a neat trick for the mind.
The palate is equally impressive with rich flavours that are gently balanced with acidity, adding a front palate bite to an otherwise voluptuous round, pillowy mouthfeel.
Exceedingly good value drinking at only $15.
4 stars
Edenvale Rosé NV – Alcohol Removed
Featuring a fresh, sweet nose of strawberry jam, red currants and hints of floral aromas, there’s much to like about this non-alcoholic wine. Similar in taste to the Russian fruit drink Mors, a stewed summer fruit compote made by boiling berries with sugar or honey and lemon juice, Edenvale rosé is a flavour packed, pleasurable affair.
The wine is crisp and refreshing on the palate, with a well-balanced acidity that sharpens the bite of the elegant summer fruit berry flavours.
How is the alcohol removed?
Wineries do this by processes known as reverse osmosis (membrane filtration) or spinning cone columns. Another method is to use heat to remove the alcohol. Alcohol boils at 78.5 deg C, so careful heating of wine can cause alcohol to evaporate with little change to the taste.
Edenvale’s label explains that ‘advanced alcohol extraction technology’ is used; therefore, we suggest that reverse osmosis is used. This method is more likely to not affect the health benefits of the juice; in this case, Edenvale notes that ‘antioxidants and vitamins within the juice are retained’. The total alcohol percentage is less than 0.5% – ‘similar to the average fruit juice’, apparently. It is promoted as a tremendous celebratory drink to toast a new pregnancy. It’s undoubtedly a fun-packed wine/drink in an attractively designed bottle.
3.5 stars
$9.98
edenvale.com.au
The Hidden Sea Rosé
A wine that ‘saves the sea’ is the pitch. Removing and recycling ten plastic bottles per rosé bottle sold is the promise. But, considering this is such a feel-good purchase, does it also deliver a feel-good drinking experience? The short answer is yes.
While this Coonawarra, South Australian wine, has good intentions, it’s a touch less delicate on the palate than other wines reviewed here. Instead, a depth of fruit aromas from a mix of varietals slightly muddles its bouquet: sweet strawberries and cream, dried floral elements, and an almost caramelised toffee backbone is heavier than expected. While this might be attributed to varying ripeness of harvested fruit within the blend, the overall balance in flavour is good.
Maybe not the best wine of the bunch but a high-quality offering that’s well designed to pair with a pizza and good times.
3.5 stars
$98 (case of 6)
thehiddensea.com.au
About Essentials’ Wine Ratings
We judge a wine on how drinkable and memorable it is – just as you probably do at home. To simplify things, we rate them using a maximum of five stars.
This is how we see it:
1 star: Extremely poor and could be considered rat poison. (But you’ll never find one in Essentials.)
2 stars: Unpleasant, not worth trying (or mentioning).
3 stars: Decent basic wine, suitable for a simple midweek dinner.
3.5 stars: Things are looking up. A decent drop we’d share with friends over a casual meal.
4 stars: Nice stuff with class. We’d happily buy a case of this.
4.5 stars: Now you’re talking. This is a damn good wine with that extra bit of character that makes you stop and think, ‘Wow!’
5 stars: Wonderful! This is as good as it gets. A special bottle for special occasions, gifts, or laying down for your child’s graduation.
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