While rose sells year round, I’m still a bit "old school" in my habits.
For me, the combination of warmth, fresh air and the sun caressing the hilltops in a cloudless sky at the end of a busy day begins to tickle the urge for a glass of chilled rose.
I hope that some of the following might help to tickle that urge for you.
2019 Aurum
Organic pinot gris rose
Price: $28
Rating: Excellent
Peachy onion skin hue.
Savoury notes lead with
nectarine and stonefruit, a
hint of yeasty Marmite later.
Delightfully creamy texture,
a burst of fruit, stonefruit,
red apple, pear with time.
Generously flavoured,
with richness and depth
to the fruit. A full-bodied
Rose in the slot for
summer drinking, while
its power will readily
complement food.
2020 Durvillea
Marlborough rose
Price: $20
Rating: Very good to excellent
Pale, peachy pink hue.
Attractive fragrance with
strawberries and cream. Dried
strawberry, pink grapefruit,
gum and musk are joined on
the palate by a wisp of
savouriness. Builds
surprising power and
richness, a sour cherry/
cranberry nuance
providing a counter to the
sweet fruit. An apricot
kernel bittersweet note
adds to the lip-smacking
close.
2020 The Vegan Wine
Project
South Australian rose
Price: $18-$19
Rating: Excellent
Onion skin shade. Subtle at
first, but quickly sees sweet
fragrance, fruit sherbet,
strawberry and rhubarb
crumble notes build. Drier
than the nose might
suggest, the cool and
racy palate highlighting
strawberry, rockmelon
and green herb hints.
Refreshing interplay
between the growing
sweet fruit and tangy
acidity. Appealing style
with lovely crispness.
2020 Jules Taylor
The Jules Rose
Price: $24.99
Rating: Very good to excellent
Pale rose petal shade. Spicy,
smoker’s lolly, turkish delight,
red berries. A touch of
sweetness leads, mixed
summer berries and cream
followed by a toffee apple
hint. Nice flavour weight
and integration, a subtle
hint of sweetness, while
still fresh, juicy and crisp
with a relatively dry finish.
I can see a lot of consumer
appeal here.
2020 Otuwhero Estate
Hawke’s Bay rose
Price: $19.95
Rating: Very good to
excellent
Rose with a copper tinge.
Savoury at first, sweeter
fragrance growing, rose
petal, a wisp of gooseberry.
Crunchy and bright in the
mouth, sweeter fruits
hinting at summer
berries, a little lavender,
This builds nicely with
aeration, showing a
touch more sweetness,
yet finishing relatively dry
and crisp. Very easy
drinking.
2019 Invivo
SJP Sud de
France rose
Price: $19.99
Rating: Excellent
Invivo’s collaboration with
Sarah Jessica Parker. Palest
onion skin hue. Beguiling
nose, umami and earth
hints shifting to cream,
stonefruit and spices.
Really tangy, crisp
palate, racy acidity
driving this. Ripe yet not
sweet with mandarin/
pink grapefruit notes.
Mouthwatering close.
High on the refreshment
factor and a great food
choice.
2019 Saint Clair
Pinot gris rose
Price: $20
Rating: Excellent
Peachy onion skin hue.
Intriguing nose, herbs and
river stones at first, moving to
ripe peach, spices and
perfume. After the delicacy
of the nose, there’s a burst
of flavour on the palate with
stonefruits, musk, Wine
Gums and boiled sweets
with zesty acidity keeping
this fresh and crisp. A juicy,
long, lip-smacking finish.
Drinking superbly now.
2019 Ngatarawa
Glazebrook
Black Label
Hawke’s Bay rose
Price: $25
Rating: Very good
Orange/onion skin hue.
Smoke, wildness, tilled
earth spices. Brooding palate
with power and weight, the
berryfruit notes growing as
it opens up. A quinine like
bittersweet element brings
things to a zesty close. With
its powerful build, this would
complement richer summer
foods: a nice foil to a BBQ
perhaps?
Seasons - By Alison Lambert - Available for purchase now!
The Otago Daily Times and Alison have collaborated to bring you her first cookbook – Seasons.
This book is the ultimate year-round cookbook. Seasons is filled with versatile recipes designed to inspire creativity in the kitchen, offering plenty of ideas for delicious accompaniments and standout dishes that highlight the best of what each season has to offer.
$49.99 each. Purchase here.
$44.99 for ODT subscribers. Get your discount code here.
