Winemaker Notes
The 2021 Rosato brings back all the elements that make this wine such a favorite, but the cooler vintage has seen everything turned up to 11 - lush strawberries and cream on the nose; super refreshing raspberry and rose water on the front palate. But it’s the savory notes that are really shining through on this wine and continue to impress – herbaceous, acid driven and moreish to keep it all working together. It’s everything you want to see in a rose, and about as smashable as it gets.
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
Quite the powerhouse region thanks to its proximity to the Murray River (and thus irrigation potential), Riverland produces over half of South Australia’s total annual harvest. While its warm Mediterranean climate promotes large volume production, many smaller, premium producers abound. Australia’s usual suspects—Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet—do great but a continuing local push for heat-loving Italian varieties like Vermentino and Nero d’Avola promises future diversity.