Wine without BS

Charles Melton - 2010 Rosé of Virginia

 

Summer is fast approaching and during the warmer days most of us will steer away from the hearty reds that go so perfectly well with the winter chill and look for something more refreshing. Rosé is said to be one of the wine styles that will be 'in vogue' this summer and if this prediction comes true then in my opinion the Charles Melton, 2010, Rosé will rise to the top.

All great fashion includes great use of colour and the Rosé of Virginia honestly has one of the best colour's in the business. Quiet dark for a Rosé it has a stunning, ruby raspberry, colour that shows flashes of purple when you swirl the wine in your glass. The aroma doesn't show off quite as much as the colour does and at chilled temperatures most wines true aroma's won't shine through anyway. To drink the wine is rather full-bodied and while hints of strawberries and candied cherries may suggest this wine is sweet, nothing could be further from the truth. Savoury notes more commonly found in traditional red wines, like the capsicum flavours from the Cabernet, balance the total experience out perfectly. The predominant grape variety is Grenache at 46%, but to keep things interesting there is also Cabernet, Shiraz, Pinot Meunier and Mataro.

This is certainly a red wine drinkers Rosé to a large extent but a wine I know will get attention from all sorts of wine drinkers willing to experiment outside Sauvignon Blanc this summer.

Charles Melton - 2010 Rosé of Virginia
Price: $20 from www.charlesmeltonwines.com.au and selected retailers
Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia
Recommended? Most definitely and it has taken over as my current favourite Rosé wine.

Bunkers Wines - 09 Windmills Rosé and 08 Cabernet/Merlot

I was recently given the privilege of trying a new range of wines from Margaret River producer, Bunkers Wines. The Bunkers range has the basics covered with a healthy range of six wines made up of two whites (Unoaked Chardonnay and Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc), a rosé and three reds (Shiraz, Tempranillo and a Cabernet Merlot). The two wines that stood out to me as the picks of the bunch where...

2009 "Windmills" Rosé

Really stunning colour in the glass of dark cherry and creaming soda with a slightly savoury aroma. Flavour wise this wine has both sweet and sour cherry characteristics but they blend and finish well together. Really enjoyable!

2008 "Bears" Cabernet Merlot

Dark cherry red in colour with a purple tinge. The bouquet is typical of a Cabernet with a whiff of capsicum in amongst fruity aroma's. This wine drinks very smoothly indeed and I can see why it is one of the winemakers favourites! 

Bunkers Wines
Region - Margaret River, Western Australia
Price - $18 a bottle for everything in the range, Order on-line here
Recommended - Sure, for $18 a bottle the Rosé and the Cabernet/Merlot won't disappoint!

Rockford - Alicante Bouchet 2008

There is some interesting debate on various internet sites on this wine and in one case I read that a couple found this wine under 'reds' on a wine menu. While visiting Rockford in February this year I queried them as to why that would be? They told me that technically speaking the Alicante Bouchet is made exactly as you make a traditional red wine without some of the techniques that some winemakers use when making rosé wines.

However, Rockford staff were not happy to hear it was appearing as a red on wine menu's as even Rockfords winemaker will say it is a Rosé! I personally think any restaurant sommelier that puts it under "reds" is being a bit of a smart arse!

But to the drink itself and it was one of the first rosé wines I've tried that I actually liked... and really liked! It's not overly sweet and when chilled it makes a great summer drink that pairs really well with lighter Asian dishes.

 

Rockford - Alicante Bouchet 2008
Price - $17 from the cellar door or $22 at www.Canterburywines.net
Region - Barossa Valley - South Australia
Recommended - Strongly recommended for rosé lovers and skeptics who may think rosé is often to sweet. This wine got me drinking rosé!

Jane Brooke - Plain Jane Rose 2008

I grabbed a bottle of the Plain Jane Rose while heading down the South Coast to visit family on the weekend. I was in a bit of hurry and the big sign "Managers Choice" sucked me in to grabbing a bottle.

After my first few sips I realised that "Managers Choice" at this particular store translates to "Crap we can't sell without a gimmicky sign". This is not only the worst Rose I remember trying but also amongst the worst wines I have ever tried regardless of grape variety! Serves me right some may say for thinking a $10 bottle with a silly sign on it was going to be any good, however I was happy with the notion it would be plain... but it was so much worse!

Jane Brooke - Plain Jane Rose 2008
Price - $10 at an independent retailer on the NSW South Coast
Region - Margaret River, Western Australia
Recommended? Not recommended! How this wine was bottled and marketed is beyond me.