Made from the great southern Italian grape Aglianico, this copper-coloured rosé is laced with wild red berries, tart apple and orange peel, finishing dry, savoury and moreish.
Pale hue in the onion skin zone, a coppery russet vibe, this opens with subtle aromas of ripening wild berries and red apple laced with orange peel and a savoury mineral overlay. This wine isn’t about obvious fruit flavours, though there’s plenty going on. A pithy, mineral and savoury feel drives the palate, with plenty of texture and volume through the dry carry. You can really feel the bones of a variety that typically makes intense and mineral red wine, but this emphasises the vibrant and delicious side of the grape, with the classic savouriness intertwined but never overpowering.
From its spiritual home in Provence, in southern France, rosé can be both democratically affordable and dizzyingly expensive, but it rarely slips into the sordid or gets hung up on being too serious. It maintains a broad welcoming smile. It says, drink me. It says, relax, have fun. Those bottles of rosy-tinged sunshine have been exported to all corners of the globe in their legion, and they have found their mark, fashioning the expectations of drinkers and shaping the decisions of winemakers. Today, Australian rosé has grown up, with wines that can both be deliciously frivolous, built for sunshine and good times, as well as having a more serious side, emphasising detail and nuance, and made to pair with food.
Aglianico is the noble grape of southern Italy. Though often compared to nebbiolo for its power and structure, it has its own distinct personality, and while it has been slow to take off, aglianico’s prospects of performing well in Australian conditions are very bright indeed. Aglianico is a variety that can have leathery, earthy, ferrous and smoky notes, but it’s one that can also show pretty red florals and small red berry fruit notes. It’s also a variety that can be both quite acidic and tannic, while reaching relatively high ripeness and alcohol levels.
While it couldn’t feel any more removed from city life, the McLaren Vale wine region is inside Adelaide’s metropolitan area. And although the township itself is only 40 minutes by car from central Adelaide and vineyards brush up against ever-encroaching housing, McLaren Vale remains unaffected by the urban sprawl. With deeply etched history, the Vale has a slow-paced sense of calm and an extraordinary wealth of untrammelled beauty. It is home to some of this country’s most beautifully pristine beaches, as well as some of the world’s most forward-thinking grape-growers and winemakers. And with over 80 cellar doors, it is an essential destination for wine lovers – and anyone else, for that matter.
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