Words from a Wine Glass

How’s this for coincidence.  Very recently we went to a dinner with a group of wine appreciative friends and one of the group brought up the variety Tempranillo.  He gave us three different versions of the word in the space of one sentence.  He did his best but even others struggled with their pronunciation of it as well.  Luckily, there was also a winemaker at the table and he let us know that it was pronounced ‘tempra-nee-oh’.  I was corrected a few years ago while holidaying in Spain by a local fellow and I’ve never had a problem saying the word since.  I actually think it’s a word that just rolls off the tongue with ease and this wine seems to roll over the tongue with just as much ease.

It’s a lovely dark colour with irresistible aromas of dark fruits, a little bit of a floral note, savoury and quite intense too.  The palate offers up plenty of everything.  Flavour is certainly up there in the pleasure scale when tasting it.  Those dark fruits reappear, plums play a part, in comes some chocolate characters, there’s the expected savouriness and it has pretty good length, even if the tannins seem a bit dry.  As I mentioned earlier, this has got everything including versatility.  It would be beautiful with beef, pair perfectly with pizza or easily share a chair with chorizo.  Try it with friends.  You’ll soon have an empty bottle, I bet.

Hastwell & Lightfoot Website (currently undergoing maintenance)

Region: McLaren Vale, SA     Price: $25     Source: Sample thanks to Hastwell & Lightfoot and Define Wine

It’s less than a week since I last drank a rosé and the quality I’ve been seeing is outstanding.  I can definitely understand why it has made a huge comeback in the wine world.  Winemakers are taking the style very seriously and it has become a very important part of a winery’s portfolio, bottleshop shelves, restaurant wine lists and in people’s fridges!  Keep the Rosé ball rolling…please.

What a delightful rosé.  My wife and I not only loved the bottle but also the attractive colour of the wine through the glass.  Grenache dominant (50%) with some Graciano (25%) and Mataro (25%) making up the remainder.  It has fresh and inviting red fruit aromas, that I must say, you could take in for quite some time (and I may have).

The palate is really quite lush for a rosé.  Plenty of flavour, plenty of character and plenty to like.  Fruit-full for sure, with strawberries the main player for me and my wife (who straight away said strawberries and cream), red cherries have a say and just a hint of delicate spice.   Smooth, soft, textural (thanks to some barrel fermentation) and good palate weight too.  This is a very moreish rosé it must be said.  The best bit of all for us, it  finishes dry; just how we like it.  Give me more please!

Atze’s Corner Website

Region: Barossa Valley, SA     Price: $25     Source: Sample thanks to Atze’s & Wine Marketing Hub

Gone are the days when Rosé sat forever and a day on the bottle shop shelf and there may have been one, possibly two, in the fridge.  From conversations with a few bottle shop managers I know, things have certainly changed.  The response now is “I can’t keep up with sales!”

Smells fresh, delightful and inviting like a red berry basket full of fun (if you know what I mean).  The palate is no different, but with added texture, a deft hint of spice, a smooth effortless finish, and you have something bloody delicious to drink.  It was only in our fridge for about two hours and I think it liked this treatment.  Temperaturely massaged to bring out its best.  Yeah, that about sums it up really.

Here in Tassie, you’re not likely to see this one in a bottle shop in your local neighbourhood.  May I suggest you talk to your friends and family, get together and buy some of this wine off the website.  It’s bound to sell out regardless of whether it’s Spring, Summer, Autumn or Winter.

De Iuliis Website

Region: Broke, NSW    Price: $20     Source: Generous gift thanks to Mike De Iuliis

When I was trying this wine, I got to thinking.  Back in the mid 1800’s when vines were starting to be planted in Mclaren Vale, I wonder if John Reynell and/or Thomas Hardy ever thought to plant Montepulciano vines?  I could be wrong but from what I’ve read, when it came to red varieties, it was mainly Shiraz, Cabernet and Grenache that filled the vineyards.  About 100 years after Messers Reynell and Hardy did their bit for the region, Italian immigrants realised varieties from their homeland would thrive in the Mediterranean climate of the ‘Vale’.  After tasting this Italian varietal, I think we have a lot to thank them for.

Beautiful deep dark colour.  Lots of dark fruits on the nose but elements of red fruits, like cranberries or raspberries, that act like a balance buddy when it comes to the aromas.  I love this wine already just on how it looks and smells!

My taste buds relished the opportunity to be used and abused when it came to trying this wine.  Slightly sour dark cherries aplenty, blackcurrants and blueberries have a say, licorice adds to the mix, and dark chocolate (my favourite) completes the nice flavour package of this wine.

There is some acid on the finish and the tannins are a tad grippy, but the beautiful fruit carries both of theses with ease.  It’s rich in a ‘plenty of flavour’ way but medium bodied in a ‘crowd pleaser’ way.

Hastwell & Lightfoot Website (currently undergoing maintenance)

Region: McLaren Vale, SA     Price: $25     Source: Sample thanks to Hastwell & Lightfoot and Define Wine