We gathered every Australian rosé that we could find – with the brief to present as rosé, or near enough, in colour, with no restriction on grape varieties – and set our expert panel the task of finding the wines that compelled the most. That means we’re not necessarily looking for some platonic ideal of classic rosé, but rather wines of interest and character regardless of style. All wines were tasted blind, and each panellist named their top six wines.
Our panel: Abby Moret DipWSET owner Atlas Vinifera; Andrea Infimo DipWSET, Group Beverage Operations Manager Movida; Mitchell Sokolin, owner Gray and Gray, owner/winemaker Eleven Sons Wines; Victoria Pun, sommelier Recreation Bistro & Bottleshop; Xavier Vigier DipWSET, Wine Buyer/Advisor/Head Sommelier Mr Claremont Wines; Gilles Lapalus owner/winemaker Maison Lapalus, Bertrand Bespoke and Maidenii; Adeline Zimmermann DipWSET, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands Export Manager for Barton & Guestier, Listel and Patriarch; Elisa Perissotto sommelier Gimlet at Cavendish House. All wines were tasted blind.
This was Zimmerman’s top wine of the tasting, coming one place back for both Infimo and Perissotto, and one back again for Lapalus. “Cloudy, more like a white wine than a rosé,” wrote Zimmermann. “I like the creaminess on the mid-palate. Restrained fresh cherry and cranberry with honeysuckle. A vibrant style with zesty acidity and subtle fresh berry notes. …A very balanced and complex style of rosé yet elegant and showing some sparks with a creamy mid-palate and marzipan notes.” “There is a little cloudiness that may indicate more hands-off wine making,” noted Infimo. “…Freshness and restraint with just-ripe wild strawberry, watermelon rind and even a pleasant celery-like vegetal note, complemented by a whiff of pastry, almost like berry Danish, that really adds to the complexity. It feels wilder in a good way. The palate shows even a firmer structure than the nose lets on, with crunch and a savouriness that really calls for prosciutto and grissini or a slice of fuet anis!” Perissotto saw, “orange peel, pomegranate and cherry pie, phenolic earl grey tea element. Lovely almond shell bitterness hits at the back. Well-balanced, it strikes mostly how such a layer of aromas could still show such a delicate result. Easy to like, especially for the lively minerality.” “Pink-orange, a little bit cloudy,” wrote Lapalus. “Medium intensity, with a distinctive citrus edge. Grapefruit seems to be the dominant note after aeration. Attack is soft, with a balanced acidity. Aromatically there are some floral notes, very delicate, a creamy touch, well-integrated, and an aromatic finale with powerful and refreshing grapefruit notes …a pleasant aromatic profile for an aperitif.”
This was Sokolin’s top wine of the tasting, with it also featuring on three other panellists’ top-six lists. “This was a short holiday from the copper-tinted parade,” wrote Sokolin. “Aromatically, it was like nothing else in today’s tasting, managing to skip the citrus and strawberries and aim for melons and jasmine. It reminded me of a great washed Geisha coffee. This could possibly have an aromatic white variety as one of its ingredients, and I applaud that thinking. It would be a nice white wine, were it not pink.” “The Muscat-like aromatics are certainly not hiding: orange blossom, cumquat, elderflower, pickled ginger and a little Turkish delight,” noted Infimo. “They are all there, yet none of them either overripe or overpowering, rendering the bouquet rather fresh and sexy. There is a lovely tension given by the smart interplay between acidity and the chalky phenolics, with a pleasant bitterness. It’s great on its own, but it would be even better with kingfish crudo and citrus.” “I actually really like the style of this rose – not a classic for sure!” wrote Vigier. “The aromatics are driving the wine to another realm – think of ginger, musk, lychee and spices. …It has some lovely texture, too, mid-palate creaminess and a pretty long finish. …Oranges, peaches, gingerbread and Indian spices.” “Distinctive earl grey nose reminiscent of bergamot and jasmine with grapefruit zest,” wrote Zimmermann. “A refreshing style in balance with zesty acidity together with an overall riper fruit spectrum and savouriness. …A great introduction to Australian rosé for those drinking Rosé d’Anjou or Cabernet d’Anjou thanks to its opulent aromatics and floral notes.”
This just missed out on top spot for Sokolin, with Vigier and Perissotto also giving it a top-six finish. “Generally, there were two ambitions for the wines in the tasting today,” noted Sokolin. “To aim for a hyper-aromatic, crunchy and fresh wine that happens to be pink, or, as in the case here, pursue the perhaps more noble route of building a textured wine with layers and length. …The acidity isn’t particularly high, but it has great texture and length and the acidity that was there lingered in the mouth for the full experience. Aromatically, it leaned subtly toward the strawberries and not the citrus. It was one of the wines today that has broad appeal and because of its weight and texture would be happy to hang around for lunch. It’s nice to have the family together around the inground pool.” Vigier found the wine “lively, fresh and zesty, showing a great level of primary fruits: wild raspberries, strawberries. There is an element of ripe yellow nectarines, peaches, bitter oranges, red flowers, with crushed roses, and plenty of spices: ginger, curry leaves. There is outer texture of red apple skins, yellow nectarine piths and paw-paw flesh. The palate has a creamy texture on the front, revealing a wealth of different layers. So much complexity here on that wine and the palate keeps on giving.” Perissotto saw “lily flower and mandarin peel, peach water and pulp make it quite a dense and fruit-forward entry. Balanced and fresh. The acidity is moderate, with a bigger chance to pair creamy dishes or richer style of seafood, like scallop gratin.”
Vigier had this as his top wine of the tasting, with Sokolin also awarding it a top-six berth. “The wine has a lovely, lifted nose showing high-toned herbal elements intertwined with bright, crunchy red berry notes – raspberries, currants, rhubarb,” wrote Vigier. “There is a massive level of complexity of the fruit profile: orange zest, ripe yellow peaches, grapefruits… There is an element of freshness, described as minerality. On the palate, the wine shows a lovely textural dimension: mid-palate oiliness, chewy tannins and fresh acidity. It finishes with taut redcurrants, orange zest, pomegranate, Turkish delight and ginger root. A classic style of rosé, perfect to sip on its own or match with summer salads.” Sokolin found it “among the best examples of a more citrus-driven style. It, like the others in this style, gave lots of grapefruit and smelled suspiciously like sauvignon blanc. Sauvignon blanc is not a red grape but that’s fine, the resulting wine was definitely pink. It was immensely refreshing, leading with the grapefruit and citrus notes and light on the pithy, phenolic bitterness that often accompanied these styles. Aromatic enough to combat the smell of the sunscreen you’ll have on your face.”
This was Perissotto’s top wine of the tasting. “A harmonious profile between fruit and vegetal aromas, driven by pink grapefruit skin, spiced papaya, dill, Kalamata olives, with a very interesting root-like finish,” she wrote. “Sapid and salty makes it a food-friendly option, especially for its medium palate weight and the layering of aromas. The balance and the freshness are a plus.” Pun had it towards the middle of her top six. “Acidity is surely racy, which wakes up the palate and offers a backbone for the wine. A subtle hint of reduction on the nose, generous notes of pomegranate, blood orange, citrus peel; it’s dangerously salivating, since the salinity is calling for food. It’s textural and supple.”
Moret selected this as her top wine of the tasting. “A classic, but very, very well executed summer quaffer,” she wrote. “The nose is vivacious with summer fruit aplenty (white peach, apricot and prickly pear) alongside the classic raspberry and the pungency of fig leaves warmed in the sun. It inevitably takes you to the Mediterranean. On the palate, it’s gentle and cuddling with a discrete liquorice root spice and a ruby-red like acidity that makes you want to go back to it.” Infimo had this just outside his top three. “An exuberant nose of fresh raspberries, bubble-gum, orange blossom and frangipani,” he noted. “Reminiscent of berry sorbet with its freshness on the palate. Mouthfeel is wonderfully silky with notes of salted raspberry and tropical tones of guava and fresh pineapple. Vibrant personality with nostalgic elements of fairy floss, boiled lollies and caramel touches rounding out the palate. Fine phenolics give it a great structure from which to launch such a colourful and juicy fruit profile, showing serious versatility and good clean fun in equal measure.”
Zimmermann had this just pipped for top spot. “Pronounced aromas of stone fruit, red fruit and sweet spices,” she wrote. “It definitively shows some almond milk texture paired with an aromatic violet lift. A Provence style with a twist. Delicious complex yet appealing and engaging. Balance between the creaminess on the mid-palate, the zesty acidity and the refreshing violet finish together with a broader structure. A rosé that can be enjoyed both on its own or pair with some nibbles – YUM.” Pun also had this in her top six. “Think conserved plum, strawberries, mild cheese rinds, sea salt. A hint of phenolic bitterness – textural and quite minerally. Great match for a soft cheese… maybe even stracciatella, with boquerones en vinagre.”
This made the top-six lists of three of the tasters. “Another wine that pushed the brief a bit and delved perhaps more into light red territory,” wrote Sokolin. “Check his passport please! In retrospect, I might have ranked this higher, as I enjoyed it quite a bit. It smells and drinks like a very light pinot and it was certainly a bit darker than most of the wines today. …Again, I think the broader appeal of something that’s a bit less rosé-ish is great, as is having a wine with enough stuffing to enjoy with a meal.” “…It’s a different style, possibly polarising, but well made,” wrote Infimo. “The fruit on the palate sits in the sweet and sour register with macerated rhubarb and cranberry, and of course a lot of cherry, with just the right amount of concentration to absorb the oak spices. It would be great with grilled fatty fish like ocean trout.” Zimmermann saw “almost exuberant aromas of cooked red fruits, cranberry, raspberry (think raspberry tart!) and dried cranberry, together with sweet spices and brown sugar. NOT the Provence-style rosé, quite the opposite! More so like a Riserva rosé style with more fun. A very complex and intense style with a nutty and spicy long finish – a great rosé to pair with food.”
This was Infimo’s wine of the day. “Probably the most enticing on the nose with lavender, sage and thyme in harmony with the perfectly ripe and well-defined fruit aroma (gentle raspberry, white peach skin) and a very pleasant floral note reminiscent of Marseille soap. Smells familiar; smells like summer. There’s a lovely fruit concentration on the palate in a tidy framework, balanced by just enough acidity and a silky, talc-like minerality. A satisfying finish with a generous cantaloupe note.” Zimmermann also gave this a top-six finish. “Restrained but elegant with complex oily texture – stone fruit dominant and white floral notes (jasmine). Medium length and not overly complicated but really easy to enjoy and definitively a crowd pleaser. Uncomplicated yet delivering everything expected from a refreshing rosé in balance… Fruit driven and crunchy, it is in harmony: easy to drink on its own or to share with friends.”
This was Lapalus’ wine of the tasting. “Pale pink in colour with very good limpidity,” he wrote. “An intense nose, fruity – cherry – with a slight vegetal side. Makes me think of grenache. The nose is holding very well with good intensity after aeration. Mouthfeel starts very fresh, with a good level of acid. The texture is well-balanced, almost a bit tannic, and with a long finish. This is a serious wine, complex, which will be great with food.”
Pun picked this as her favourite wine of the tasting. “On the nose this wine greets you with bouquets of orange blossom,” she wrote. “Notes of raspberry sorbet, cranberry, blood orange intertwined with a touch of sea salt and white pepper. Refreshing, crisp, and layered. A glass to be enjoyed by itself, or in the company of food.”
Pun and Vigier both had this in their top-six selections for the tasting. “First impression is subtle citrus blossom, fragrant,” Pun wrote. “Followed by very generous red-fruit expression, red berries, pomegranate, then a hint of Italian herbs, tomato vines and sage. It’s quite saline. Think of gentle breeze from the coast, and warming rays shining through the shade.” “Aromatically, one of the most engaging wines of the bracket – lifted nose of orange, spicy pears, red apples, strawberries and spiced raspberries,” noted Vigier. “It has layers of savoury elements in the background, offering an extra level of complexity. We can find a diversity of texture on the palate, while retaining the freshness we love about rosé. A great example of a contemporary style of rosé made in Australia.”
Moret had this rounding out her top three. “Beautiful colour – looks and smells like pink rose petals, orchid and violet florals, with eucalypt and Vietnamese mint herbal notes. The palate features lemon sorbet, with a gentle unassuming vibe and a carnival of sweet-fruited flavours that would appeal to so many people – it reminded me of a lolly shop without the sugar attached. Would be a treat either on its own or with food, and it ticks all the boxes.” Perissotto had it in her top six. “Extremely soft and velvety but with an energetic fruit profile; strawberry, Alchermes cherry and pineapple really gives the tropical vibe. Very simple and straightforward but surely a good option to offer with summer food, or alone if you prefer a soft, delicate but yet exotic option.”
Moret had this one place off her wine of the day. “Sherbetty vibes on the nose, accentuating blood orange, white cherry, marshmallow, liquorice and bergamot fragrances,” she wrote. “A glossy, full-bodied texture features heaps of savoury notes and sweet spices like cinnamon, cloves… in fact, the whole mulled wine portfolio of the spice box. Excellent weight, balance and freshness, with a salinity pleasantly reminiscent of gose beers.”
Lapalus had this in second position for his wine of the day. “Pink colour with very good limpidity,” he wrote. “Delicate nose, floral – rose and iris – of medium intensity. “The attack in the mouth is well-balanced, and the aromatics are dominating. Again, floral notes, with a lot of rose notes. The texture is quite creamy leading to a powerful mouthfeel where the alcohol is present but refreshed by good acid length. Powerful wine.”
This occupied second place for Pun’s wines of the day. “This wine has a vibrant pale coral sight,” she noted. “You find ripe red fruits, red plum, raspberry conserve, guava, and pomegranate seed. Layered with basil, fennel, a hint of sea spray and savouriness. It is vibrant, generous, and inviting. It’s quaffable, and definitely calling for food.”
Both Sokolin and Moret placed this amongst their top six wines of the day. “There were a couple of wines today that brought more red-wine flavour profile to the table, and this was one of them,” noted Sokolin. “The green capsicum aromatics point to something from the cabernet family, which is rarely considered for rosé, but perhaps should be. What I appreciated here was the savoury flavour profile. No tiresome citrus, grapefruit or strawberries here, just snappy green shoots and capsicum. It’s something to offer someone who doesn’t drink rosé or fears sweet fruit flavours. A light, low-grip red wine is what we have here really.” “I love this because it’s really different to the other wines in the group,” Moret wrote. “Heady aromatics include cranberry, raspberry licorice, star anise, pineapple soda – it smells like a cocktail rather than a wine, which is intriguing. Silky fruit carries flavours of cinnamon, grape juice, orange, with an almost oily richness to it. Stylish and a standout. Would be really interested to see the grape varieties that compose this.”
Vigier placed this second for his wines of the day. “Definitely one of the brightest examples today,” he wrote, “with delicate yet lifted herbals, white root vegetables and a plethora of red berries, rhubarb, orange zest, ginger lime, white peach, apricot and pink grapefruit. The palate is juicy and creamy, carrying an exciting line of complexity. This is another classic example of a fresh, vibrant and early-drinking style of rosé.”
This rounded out Perissotto’s top-three wines of the day. “Pomegranate, pink grapefruit peel, floral but not glossy, fresh mint and a touch of savoury root element,” she wrote. “Delicate and vibrant. Again, an example of a very fresh and crowd-pleasing style, yet with a story of aromas to tell.”
Zimmermann placed this towards the middle of her top-six listing. “Floral, cranberry, boysenberry, red-fruit driven – easy to drink with broad appeal,” she wrote. “Lean texture but ample fruit and cherry blossom aromas. Perfect for summertime. A more commercial style, yet delivering all you want/expect from a rosé with great balance and long length.”
Lapalus had this just outside of his top-three wines for the tasting. “This is pink-orange in colour with good limpidity,” he wrote. “It’s very similar to #5 [Sven Joschke], with a lot of citrus profile, a medium intensity in the mouth, but well-balanced, and a bitter-sweet finale – great as an aperitif.”
Moret picked this towards the middle of her top six. “Fanta-esque nose with florals of gardenia, white jasmine and magnolia, immediately attractive,” she wrote. “Soft and plush weight with fine phenolic structure that adds a serious twist to the fun fruit (strawberries and green melon). I can imagine this being great with fatty or spicy foods. Very well put together and a lot to like – I think this would be a hit with a lot of wine drinkers, and it lends itself to both the dinner table and the park on a weekend.”
Infimo selected this in his top six. “This is a rosé that steps out of the comfort zone,” he noted. “The fruit and floral element typically associated with wines of this category and colour are more subdued, with slightly unripe wild strawberry, grapefruit skin, briar and fresh rose petals. What really sticks out (hopefully I’m not wrong) is a raw wood spice, with nutmeg and conifer bark and some dough-like leesy notes that add an extra-dimension to the wine and balance the light sourness on the palate, almost in a Spanish ‘clarete’ fashion. It’s textured, dense, yet tight and tidy, with salinity and savouriness. It may even be better with some extra time in bottle and definitely with some food.”
This made the top-six lists of both Perissotto and Sokolin. “Hard to forget,” wrote Perissotto. “Sophisticated in the layers of aromas but also modern and fun on the winemaking. Peach and peach-flavoured iced tea, earl grey tea leaf, dry strawberries, orange blossom, basil and tomato bruschetta. Quite feminine at first but with a wow finish of phenolic and non-fruit elements, gentle spice. It can make you think of vermouth or aromatised wine.” “This will be a contentious pick, not doubt, but I’ll still posit that being memorable (for any reason) is a positive attribute in itself,” noted Sokolin. “This most definitely falls into the hands-off, minimal-intervention idiom as evidenced by its hazy colour… This delved into the more textural, phenolic side of things. Like a very light red. … No citrus or strawberries, more like peaches. Peaches that are maybe just starting to ferment, but you would be happy to eat. It would be a happy lunch companion and didn’t need to be cold. I preferred it as it warmed up and imagined it in a glass with no stem.”
Lapalus placed this amongst his top-six wines of the day. “An orange-gris, pale pink colour with good limpidity,” he wrote. “In that same vibe as #5 [Sven Joschke] and #8 [Krinkewood], with a more floral nose (a touch of jasmine), and a stronger mouthfeel of medium intensity. The aromas develop towards a more citrus profile, and in particular grapefruit and pomelo, with a fresh finish supported by a strong acidity. Again, very much an aperitif style.”
“Moderately pronounced nose reminds one of peonies, strawberries and cream,” wrote Pun in giving this a top-six berth. “Then the fresh red fruit – raspberries, white cherries; mild hints of phenolic bitterness, not chewy but offers texture; pleasantly light-weighed and comforting.”
Lapalus placed this amongst his top wines of the tasting. “Intense pink, limpidity medium,” he wrote. “Intense nose with very fruity notes of strawberry developing to more lactic aromas of Greek yogurt, which makes me think of pinot. “The attack is round, followed with a strong structure and powerful texture. The aromatics are confirming the nose with fruity strawberry notes, which are quite intense, almost wild strawberry, and developing through the finish. A more rounded and powerful wine for food.”
“Nose of burnt orange, rosemary and oregano, cranberry and melon,” wrote Moret in giving this a top-six finish. “Texturally vinous, with a soft and kind palate. Feels like a red wine in its vinosity, which is incredibly appealing for the category – almost one foot in each camp of rosé vs chilled red, and an excellent contender for food pairing. A chunky weight to it, with cherry, black pepper and a very shapely style. Serious and intense.”
Vigier had this in his top six. “The wine shows a lot more spices and earthy elements underlined with essential oils, eucalypt and a leafy aspect to the fruit. On the palate, there is an element of grippy lychee skins, grapefruit pith, tart strawberries, raspberries, spices and red apple skins. Love the texture: it rather starts creamy, juicy and continues to deliver pithier, grippy tannins on the finish. I absolutely adore the savoury finish, which makes me think it would be well suited to Mediterranean cuisine. This is a style I like as it shows some fruity and savoury aspects…”
Our panel: Abby Moret DipWSET owner Atlas Vinifera; Andrea Infimo DipWSET, Group Beverage Operations Manager Movida; Mitchell Sokolin, owner Gray and Gray, owner/winemaker Eleven Sons Wines; Victoria Pun, sommelier Recreation Bistro & Bottleshop; Xavier Vigier DipWSET, Wine Buyer/Advisor/Head Sommelier Mr Claremont Wines; Gilles Lapalus owner/winemaker Maison Lapalus, Bertrand Bespoke and Maidenii; Adeline Zimmermann DipWSET, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands Export Manager for Barton & Guestier, Listel and Patriarch; Elisa Perissotto sommelier Gimlet at Cavendish House. All wines were tasted blind.
“There was a time where there was this race to make the palest wine and they were getting lighter, and lighter. But there is a very separate camp that you can see here, where the wines are serious, with structure…”
With so many rosés tasted, there was naturally a diversity of styles, which Zimmerman – who was a panellist at our first Rosé Deep Dive – felt was less of a rollercoaster than last time. “Overall, it was a more consistent bracket than three years ago, with less obscure wines,” she said. That certainly didn’t mean that it was homogenous, though.
“From the pale onion-skin Provence style to the more extracted fruity Bandol style, and of course the natural rosé contestants, then deeper, extracted Barossa-like rosés to an oxidative ‘Gran Riserva’ style, this 50-rosé bracket delivered!” declared Zimmermann. “Rosé is probably the most fun and interesting category. It’s quite broad, so where is the limit?”
“The expectation that I wanted break was that rosé is just about berries and freshness,” said Perissotto. “That it’s just a crowd pleaser where you have those boxes ticked and everyone just likes the same things… It was surprising and very interesting to see the shades and other fruit profiles, …the fruitier styles, the drier ones, those fuller, the ones more savoury…”
“When I first came to Australia in 2001, that was the first wine I made: a rosé,” said Lapalus. “And I made it in a pale, dry, saignée style. It was like something from the moon! No-one had seen it, but it was what Europe was doing. I still have all the wines I made [under the Sutton Grange and Fairbank labels], and they actually age quite well under screw cap; it’s really quite interesting. Rosé then was an afterthought, but not anymore. In France, rosé as a category is bigger than white wine, and it’s still growing – here as well.”
It’s a diversity that wasn’t available 20 years ago, which was a time when the now ubiquitous pale, dry and vibrant style was almost unheard of in this country.
“When I first came to Australia in 2001, that was the first wine I made: a rosé,” said Lapalus. “And I made it in a pale, dry, saignée style. It was like something from the moon! No-one had seen it, but it was what Europe was doing. I still have all the wines I made [under the Sutton Grange and Fairbank labels], and they actually age quite well under screw cap; it’s really quite interesting. Rosé then was an afterthought, but not anymore. In France, rosé as a category is bigger than white wine, and it’s still growing – here as well.”
“In my picks, I tried to give space to some that I would drink and some I wouldn’t necessarily choose to drink, but I chose them because they were very well made” said Perissotto. “Even a fruitier style, which doesn’t represent me so well, but it was so well made that I would be happy to… I would list it in a work scenario… Compared to one that was more modern, more funky, skinsy, but still very complete. I think with rosé we often underestimate it or overlook it, so it’s great to see this broad range of styles.”
“You can make rosé from anything, absolutely anything, but there are still some varieties that are better regarded, like grenache, mourvèdre, cinsault… You can see here pinot is used… There were a few of them. And then there were the natty styles, skinsy… and there was one that was very cidery, and I’d be happy to see more of this, actually – anything is possible. You could even combine rosé with beer or cider, and I think it would go very nicely.”
While Lapalus found variation, he still felt there was a distinct trend towards the Provençal style. “It’s really interesting to try and pick the variety here,” he said. “The colour variation was huge, and you can make rosé from anything, absolutely anything, but there are still some varieties that are better regarded, like grenache, mourvèdre, cinsault… You can see here pinot is used… There were a few of them. And then there were the natty styles, skinsy… and there was one that was very cidery, and I’d be happy to see more of this, actually – anything is possible. You could even combine rosé with beer or cider, and I think it would go very nicely.”
“I went into this thinking it could be a difficult one as a category,” noted Sokolin. “Rosé is defined by its colour, so there wasn’t a brief on variety or region, or anything else. Its duty is to be pink, or some shade of pink. If colour is the main objective, then there are a lot of ways to get there. I expected more diversity. I found most of the wines were direct press red grapes, maybe with something else added in. …But there were some that stood out because they were quite different, and that was refreshing… a bit more texture, a bit less citrus. So, that was nice to see. And although some were similar, there was a lot of freshness and a lot of brightness… I’ve been known to say that I have never bought a bottle of rosé in my life, but a few of these I would happily drink.”
“Some definitely called for food,” said Pun. “Some were like I need some food stat! Whether with cheese or salad or a hot dish… it is just so versatile.”
“The ones that had more grip and texture, I can see the application with food,” added Sokolin. “Some of the others… just drink them.”
“There were some wines that you’d definitely want to eat with them, and others that you’d want to take to the beach,” agreed Lapalus.
“It really got me thinking, am I doing rosé justice?” mused Pun. “Both at work and personally.”
“I really love rosé. So, there’s that. I like the fact that it can be made from all the red grapes. People put it in a box and simplify the concept. People come into the store and say I’ll just have a rosé, but hey, there’s more to it than that. All the litres and litres and litres of Provence-style stuff that feels like pop rock to me… Following a pattern, making the same thing again and again because it will sell, and it’ll go on Instagram. It’s easily got to be the most Instagrammed wine.”
“It’s a category that is overlooked, and perhaps snubbed by sommeliers,” added Infimo. “In high-end restaurants, you see massive lists with multiple vintages of red and white Burgundy, and then there’s five rosês on a 2,000-reference list. Although it’s probably the category that I drink the least, I very much give it importance on the list. And I try to cover the spectrum.”
“For me, I could certainly drink more, and use it as a bridge more,” said Pun. “But I was also wondering if it could be elevated more, to find more terroir expression or typicity. I definitely think that is reflected in some of these rosés, but I wonder if there could be more focus, offering that bit more.”
“I want to see more terroir definition,” agreed Vigier. “I want to see more wine being made for the purpose of showcasing the place rather than just being a summer drink. If you’re going to make rosé, why not make it serious.”
“I really love rosé. So, there’s that,” laughed Moret. “I like the fact that it can be made from all the red grapes. People put it in a box and simplify the concept. People come into the store and say I’ll just have a rosé, but hey, there’s more to it than that. All the litres and litres and litres of Provence-style stuff that feels like pop rock to me… Following a pattern, making the same thing again and again because it will sell, and it’ll go on Instagram. It’s easily got to be the most Instagrammed wine.”
“The wines I find more interesting personally are things like nebbiolo rosé, sangiovese rosé, because I see savouriness. But that’s not what pleases the public the most.”
“The reason the market sees rosé as they do know is due to the marketing agencies getting behind it as a summer drink,” said Vigier. “In France, we don’t see it the same way. It’s linked with summer, but people drink rosé all year round.”
“It’s become an all-year-round thing for us in terms of bottle sales and glass sales,” added Moret. “But we always took it fairly seriously in the ‘before times’, before COVID, and used to run a festival over a weekend in February called All Day Rosé. And the whole idea was to show people that a nebbiolo rosé is super different to a grenache rosé to a syrah rosé to Bandol.”
“I think the category has been a bit corrupted,” noted Sokolin. “I don’t know how you recover it, but one way to tackle that issue… what if it integrates into the wine list? Maybe the pinot made by someone just happens to look like rosé one year? It’s still a pinot, just with a different level of skin contact.”
“It doesn’t need to be an afterthought, just a thing that is pretty and ends up on Instagram,” continued Moret. “Maybe it’s an afterthought because of its colour,” she laughed. “It’s an afterthought because it’s pink!”
“For me, rosé is about purity, freshness, delicate fruit, cleanliness,” said Vigier. “I don’t want to see stinky oak or whatever… this is not what rosé is about. It has to fit the palate in a way that it has the richness and acidity… where you have a touch of red flavours of red wine and white wine, and that’s probably what rosé is about.”
“When you come to the classic Provence style, you need to find the right balance between the berry spectrum,” added Infino. “I want to see stone fruit, white peach skin completed by fresh sage and lavender. There has to be something summery about it, some summer fruit… even like cantaloupe, with fresh berries and herbs, that to me is a classic Provence-style, not too cloying, not too confected.”
“I found quite a few interesting styles today, and some things that I have never seen before that are more in the realm of skinsy wines,” said Vigier. “I like classic styles, so these are not the wine that I will promote, but it was an exciting bracket.”
“The wines I find more interesting personally are things like nebbiolo rosé, sangiovese rosé,” added Infimo, “because I see savouriness. But that’s not what pleases the public the most, but I’m also able to recognise a wine made in a much more classic style.”
“There was a time where there was this race to make the palest wine and they were getting lighter, and lighter,” mused Moret. “But there is a very separate camp that you can see here, where the wines are serious, with structure… Rosé is such a fantastic category for Australia, especially the way we like to live our lives outdoors, and they go with so many food options. There are a heap that are carbon copies and they’re popular because they’re pink, but as we saw today, there are a lot of way more serious wines. Some have pushed the envelope too far, but others are just properly serious wines.”
“History has a habit of repeating itself,” concluded Lapalus. “Before the 17th century, all wines were rosé, so maybe we go back to that. Rosé is the future!”
In France, pinot noir is used for pink wine in Sancerre, in the Loire Valley, and at times in Burgundy, with the commune of Marsannay being a historically important rosé producer. However, rosés are largely made with some of the more powerful grapes, with production increasing the further south you get, where rugged, sun-kissed grenache, mourvèdre and syrah vines (amongst others) turn out elegant and delicate wines, redolent of just-picked berries and lilting florals.
And while there are many historic Italian rosé, or rosato, styles made, many of them with varying degrees of fizz and sweetness (think Brachetto d’Acqui from Piedmont – Moscato d’Asti’s blushed, strawberry-scented cousin), they rarely mirror the Provence archetype. Well, they never used to at least.
“When I was judging at the Melbourne Wine Show… [rosé] was all toilet cleaner pink. In 2004, there was no rosé that was that colour,” he continued, pointing to a pale pink example in glass. “And there were none that were dry!”
Today, powerhouse Italian varieties like aglianico, primitivo, nero d’avola and nebbiolo are tuned into gently blushed offerings, proffering their individual varietal character in a style that we have come to expect. That’s not to say that Italy hasn’t retained its fair share of traditional rosato styles, some of which could easily be classified as light reds. But suffice to say that Provence has had a global impact in markets both progressive and stubbornly traditional.
That impact is true here, too, with a slew of reliable and affordable Provençal bottlings making it to our shores. This exposure, and consequent influence on winemakers, has seen the appeal of rosé increase significantly over the last 15 or so years. Rosé is now taken seriously, even if it is still a drink characterised by boundless frivolity. Prior to this revolution, Australian rosés were oft sweet and mostly varied between luridly fluorescent tones and somewhat sombrely dark hues, knocking on the door of red wine.
Bill Downie is best known for making Pinot Noir, but he has also had a long-term fascination with rosé, honed over his time at De Bortoli and taken further under his SOS label with Jason Searle. Downie was a panellist at our first Rosé Deep Dive in 2019. “When I was judging at the Melbourne Wine Show… [rosé] was all toilet cleaner pink,” he remarked at the time. “In 2004, there was no rosé that was that colour,” he continued, pointing to a pale pink example in glass. “And there were none that were dry!”
Back then, Australian rosé was almost exclusively a secondary product, with young vine fruit, or poorly selected clones or sites, or both, ending up as rosé by way of clawing back some revenue. The other method was essentially utilising a by-product. Drawing off some of the juice from a tank at the start of fermentation concentrates the primary product: red wine. This method is called saignée. That bleed-off is fermented into rosé, and though often good, is subservient to the red wine, so the alcohol or flavour profile can be ill-suited to rosé. Having said that, Gary Farr made some significant statements with the style during his legendary tenure at Bannockburn Vineyards.
In other words, rosé was never at the front of anyone’s thinking. No-one planted vineyards to make aspirational rosé, or rosé of any kind, really. That’s not to say we didn’t have the appropriate varieties already planted. We did, and we do. It’s simply that varieties like grenache, shiraz and mourvèdre were better commercial options as red wines – cinsault, a vital cog in Provence rosé, was largely ignored – and pinot noir as rosé was, and still largely is, a financial disaster, given its finicky nature, low yields and the generally low tariff for pink wines.
So, what we got, in the main, were wines of opportunity, wines of necessity, and often with a perception that they had to be sweet. Fair to say that few producers were benchmarking rosés from around the world, although Turkey Flat and Charles Melton turned out highly regarded versions, and Julian Castagna made a bolder and more aspirational statement with his ‘Allegro’ in 1998, which came with a price tag that was unheard of for rosé at the time.
The classic Provence style of rosé was fittingly championed by two transplanted Frenchmen. When Dominique Portet founded his eponymous winery in 2000 after many years at Taltarni, he produced what is regarded as Australia’s first properly pale and dry pink wine. While in 2001, after landing at Sutton Grange, near Harcourt, Gilles Lapalus intently fought the battle for pale, dry rosé, while also expanding the possibilities with both an entry level and reserve style, plus a flor-raised fino-like rosé that was well ahead of its time.
The combined efforts of rosé’s champions didn’t have immediate effects, but before long the shift was overwhelming: the neon hues were dialled down, and the palates tipped to the drier end of the scale.
With the imagination of the consumer now well and truly captured, dry, lightly textured wines with pink to onion skin hues are now made at scale, and with primary intent. However, supplying to this exemplar has arguably seen the local category nestle itself into a ‘beverage’ segment, rather than declare itself as ‘serious’ wine.
Yes, exceptions abound, but there is a functional quality to much rosé. Joyously functional, but functional, nonetheless. If we take Provence as the fountainhead of today’s rosé movement, and we should, rosé is a wine suited to the sun-drenched languor of that beautiful part of the world. Try finding promotional notes that don’t mention azure waters or the sun, always the sun. There aren’t many.
The French Riviera, or Côte d’Azur, is a place of infectious glamour, of good times, and of tantalisingly obscene displays of affluence. People want a part of that. You can see why the fine wine bit sits a bit behind that combination of sparklingly blue water, gleaming sun and the blinding impact of reflected riches.
But before relegating rosé to both summer and the judgement-free beverage basket, next to Prosecco, Italian lager and Aperol spritz (not picking on the Italians, but they do carefree well), the diversity of pink-tinged wine in this country has blossomed apace with the explosion of bottles within the Provençal paradigm. Especially if you take colour and application as defining characters, rather than being bound by production rules of a far-flung part of the world. Afterall, the Italians make coppery, blushed pinot grigios (ramato) that are essentially rosés in terms of their appearance and use – a rosé by any other name…
Provence has also seen an explosion of prestige rosé bottlings. Some of those are squarely aimed at the ultra-luxury market, servicing the mega-yachts of celebrities, oligarchs and the like, but there is also a quieter push into expressing territorial differences. That conscious foray into ‘serious’ rosé is unearthing fascinating discoveries, a world away from the brash marketing-driven wines fronted by Post Malone and the like.
“The Provence Wine Council [CIVP], who have some hardcore research divisions in marketing as well as winemaking, conducted an experiment where they vinified 13 plots of Grenache from all over Provence, made exactly the same way, and there was a staggering colour difference. This was a game changer for me in showing how rosé can reflect site. Sure, not to the same terroir-porn levels of Burgundy’s crus, but it shows the style stands above mere winemaking process.”
Felix Riley founded his wine wholesale business on the bedrock of French rosé, and he’s been closely watching the development of rosé’s more serious side. “The Provence Wine Council [CIVP], who have some hardcore research divisions in marketing as well as winemaking, conducted an experiment where they vinified 13 plots of Grenache from all over Provence, made exactly the same way, and there was a staggering colour difference,” he says. “This was a game changer for me in showing how rosé can reflect site. Sure, not to the same terroir-porn levels of Burgundy’s crus, but it shows the style stands above mere winemaking process.”
In Australia, while the broader region certainly marks rosé with individual character, the dive into terroir-expressive rosé is perhaps in its infancy. But that leap into ‘serious’ wine territory is not holding Australian rosé back from being one of our most exciting categories, with a panoply of styles that are shattering style barriers and developing in ever more interesting ways. Rosé is a beverage, yes, but it is also a steppingstone between white and red at the dinner table. And more than that, it has now fanned out to nestle up to whites and light reds, filling in the gaps and giving drinkers even more options.
Xavier Vigier is the Wine Buyer/Advisor/Head Sommelier for Mr Claremont, which was founded in 2022. Prior, he was the Head Sommelier for Ten Minutes by Tractor for three years. He has worked for French wine specialist Clos Cachet, for Merivale at Sydney’s Felix Bistro & Bar, Catalina, Bentley Restaurant & Bar, Monopole and Ormeggio at the Spit. Vigier has complete the AWRI Wine Assessment Course and is a WSET Diploma holder.
Abby Moret has been working in the retail wine industry since she was 18, including working in London for Majestic Wine, gaining her WSET Level 3 Certificate while there. She was the Promotional Manager of Vintage Cellars, before moving into buying and product development for the national chains. After gaining her WSET Diploma, Abby founded Atlas Vinifera in 2017, an independent, boutique wine bar and wine store in Richmond that specialises in small-batch, interesting, hand-crafted and cult wines from all over the world.
Mitchell Sokolin left his native New York and a background in retail to pursue a career as a “vagabond winemaker”. The last 12 years with grapes have brought him long stints in Barolo, the remote western reaches of Spain, France, Ukraine, Georgia and of course Victoria, where he currently produces wine under the label, Eleven Sons. He is co-owner and manager of Gray and Gray in Northcote.
Elisa Perissotto is a Venetian native who first travelled to Australia in 2014, settling in Melbourne in 2016 after a stint in Sydney. Having worked in hospitality since she was young, Perissotto had a keen interest in wine, taking on a role at Grossi Florentino where she remained for a couple of years while studying WSET and gaining CMS certification. A role under Loic Avril at Dinner by Heston followed, and she now works as a sommelier at Gimlet at Cavendish House. Perissotto also has her Court of Master Sommelier Advanced Certification.
Gilles Lapalus is originally from Burgundy, and the third generation of his family to be involved with wine. He studied oenology in Dijon. Lapalus moved to Australia in 2001 to help establish the Sutton Grange Winery, near Castlemaine. After leaving Sutton Grange in 2015, he started his own labels, Maison Lapalus, and Bertrand Bespoke. In 2011, Lapalus had begun to experiment with native botanicals, which led to the founding of Maidenii with Shaun Byrne. Theirs was the first vermouth to employ Australian botanicals. He also co-authored ‘The Book of Vermouth’ in 2018 (Hardie Grant).
Victoria Pun began her career as a speech pathologist, but she was diverted following a tasting in the Yarra Valley. After being offered a casual job opportunity as a cellar door assistant in 2019, her interest in wine deepened, beginning a first role in hospitality that was disrupted by the pandemic. Pun passed the Advanced Sommelier exam with the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2022 while working at Vue de Monde. She is the recipient of the Sommelier Australia Education Scholarship in 2022 and is currently pouring at The Recreation Bistro & Bottleshop.
Adeline Zimmermann has been immersed in the wine industry from an early age, learning integral aspects of the business at her family’s Domaine (est. 1693), in Alsace. After working in Burgundy, Adeline moved to London to work for Wine Australia. She completed her Masters of International Business in China, where she focused on the Chinese perception of French wines. Adeline is a WSET Diploma holder and a WSET educator. She is currently a Master of Wine student. Adeline is the Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands Export Manager for Barton & Guestier, Listel and Patriarch.
Andrea Infimo grew up in Naples, coming to Australia as an environmental science graduate in 2013. He began working at Movida Sydney on what was meant to be a sabbatical year, but there he fell in love with wine. After Movida, he worked at Sydney’s iconic 121 BC wine bar, then under Annette Lacey MW for the Lotus Group. A move to Melbourne saw Infimo reconnect with Movida in 2018, where he is the Group Beverage Operations Manager, as well as the Head Sommelier for the original restaurant. Infimo completed his WSET Diploma in August 2022.
The Sunshine State is probably not high on the list when one thinks of cool climate wine regions, but Queensland’s Granite Belt is just that. In fact, it is Queensland’s coldest place, and by some margin. As the Wine & Tourism body says, “It’s part of Queensland, but it’s a different country.” La Petite Mort’s Andrew Scott is a two-time Young Gun finalist and the sole Granite Belt maker in this year’s Top 50.
Pinot noir is now a leading variety in many cooler Australian regions, and with increased vine age, better clones, a lot of new vineyards, better winemaking and understanding of sites, today’s makers are turning out expressions that square up with the best in the world.
In the 40s and 50s, one of Australia’s legendary winemakers made arguably some of our greatest and most enduring wines pairing pinot noir and shiraz. Today, there is a renewed interest in the blend, and makers from the staunchly traditional to the restlessly creative are getting on board. Four years after our inaugural Deep Dive into Pinot Noir and Shiraz Blends, it’s an apt time to again cast our eyes across the landscape.
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