One of the main reasons we signed up was the Gamay, a delightful wine made from the variety that produces Beaujolais, although their Ensemble Rosé ain’t too shabby either. I’m waiting for the credit card to recover before ordering a dozen to tide us over the summer.
One of the most interesting developments on the Australian wine scene has been the emergence of different grape varieties, and it’s hardly surprising that the King Valley, with a significant Italian heritage and influence has been one of the most interesting areas in that regard. I’ll be interested to watch further developments in that regard. Unfortunately it’s probably going to be a couple of years before we’re back that way, so I’ll be forced to explore the various wine club options if I’m going to unearth anything along the lines we’re looking for without external assistance.
When we visited northern Tasmania late in 2007 there were a number of interesting possibilities as well. I signed up for the Vintage Wine Club at Brook Eden while we were there (half-a-dozen bottles per year from a vineyard that lies at the boutique end of the boutique spectrum).
Our first tasting pack arrived a couple of days before I started this article, and since then we’ve had the chance to try the 2007 Pinot Noir (which doesn’t fall within the parameters we’re talking about but is doing a lot to overcome Hughesy’s long-standing pinot-scepticism) and the 2007 Pinot Rosé which is just what the doctor ordered in terms of quality, though at $23 (bottle price, reduces when buying by the case or through the Vintage Club) it doesn’t quite fall into the summer quaffer category.
The November 2008 excursion to Adelaide and the Clare Valley was basically a search for Riesling, though that didn’t prevent us from looking at other styles, and, predictably, the odd summer red appeared on the horizon. There were four wines that hit the spot particularly nicely.
Neagles Rock 2008 Sweet Dorothy Cabernet Rosé ($19) was, as the name suggests, on the sweeter end of the spectrum without becoming cloying. A nice refreshing drop.
Kilikanoon 2007 Second Fiddle Rosé ($18) was a full-bodied, balanced, medium style and another excellent summer wine, as was the Thorn-Clarke 2006 Sorriso Rosé, a blend of Nebbiolo and Cabernet resulting in a dry, easy-drinking style.
But the pick of them, as far as I was concerned was the Rockford 2008 Alicante Bouchet ($17) struck me as an almost ideal Rosé style.
A lot of that comes from the fact that the variety is one of the ew red grapes with red juice. As a result, once the grapes have been crushed there is no need for the juice to come into contact with skins or stems and the result is a refreshing low-alcohol (9.5%) wine that’s more or less tannin-free. I ordered a dozen as soon as we made it back home.
So, for the moment, the quality end of the summer drinking spectrum features, apart from Rieslings and a couple of good value Sauvignon Blancs, Rockford Alicante Bouchet, Pfeiffer Gamay and Brook Eden Pinot Rosé.
Sounds good to me...
