If you speak to my wife she will tell you I am a creature of habit.  This may be correct but I prefer to say I have a routine.  I don’t think this is bad thing.

There is one habit or routine I have decided to rename ‘tradition’, and because it involves my wife, sister and mother, I’m going to add ‘family’ to that and call it a ‘family tradition’.  Pretty simple really.  Let me explain.

Every Sunday afternoon for as long as I can remember (not that I have a good memory), my wife and I meet my sister at my mother’s home.  We share a bottle of sparkling wine (sometimes two) coupled with lunch and convivial conversation.  It develops into a really good afternoon.  My mum is a bit of a traditionalist in that her preferred sparkling wine is the pinot/chardonnay style or as she calls it, “my bubbles”.  So, one Sunday afternoon I decided to take a bottle of this sparkling rosé.  Well, a few sips later and she was like the cat coming out of the dairy.  It was like the day she discovered an iPad; quite the revelation.  Just like her iPad has become part of her day, sparkling rosé has become an occasional part of her, and our, Sunday afternoon ‘family tradition’.

All estate grown fruit, hand picked and whole bunch pressed.  The French winemaking technique of ‘Méthode Traditionelle’ (that’s Traditional Method for those that can’t read French) have produced a pretty yummy bubbles.  Fresh delicate strawberries are the main fruit flavours for me along with nice clean acid dancing alongside a creamy sort of texture, leading to a good dry, medium length finish.  I can picture my mum now after that first taste, looking at the glass, then going in for a second helping.

Region: East Coast, Tas     Price: $36     Source: Sample thanks to Maclean Bay wines.

Maclean Bay Wines Website