VINO COTTO | WOOLSHED CREEK WHITE | WOOLSHED CREEK RED | RIESLING | PINOT GRIS | CHARDONNAY | ROSE | PINOT NOIR | DINNY'S BLOCK | MERLOT | GRACIANO | SHIRAZ | TEMPRANILLO
This fresh, bright and lively Rosé made from Merlot is packed with cherry, redcurrant, passionfruit and watermelon flavours, and finishes dry. Drink chilled, with dappled sunshine.
At Mount Majura Vineyard, we still produce more grapes each year than we make into wine, so it is easy to start playing with a new style for no better reason than that the grapes are there and it is fun to try new things. Fun is basically what the Rosé is about. Fun to make, fun to look at, fun to drink.
Often Rosé is made as a by-product of red winemaking, through the process of 'bleeding off' or saigner (notice how with wine it is fun to use French words where English ones would do just as well). In this process, say 10% of the juice from the black grapes is run off from the skins not long after crushing, so that the red wine made from the remaining juice on the skins becomes more concentrated in colour and tannin. There is also an (illegal) practice of replacing the run-off juice with water, in which case the aim is not to concentrate the red wine made, but to reduce the alcohol level. In any event, one would be left with pink run off juice, so rather than waste it, it is fermented into wine, and instead of label it 'pink' the habit is to use the French rosé.
Our approach is different, because we're not into by-products, and making rosé from scratch is more fun. Mainly, we're making rosé to be light and fresh, and if you've made it from grapes picked to make red wine, the alcohol is going to be too high. From merlot grapes at about 12 Baumé ripeness we get wonderful zesty aromatics and flavours (somewhat reminiscent of its cousin, sauvignon blanc) and good natural acid levels. The juice is pressed from the skins after about 20 hours, then fermented cool and protectively for maximum aroma and fresh 'fruit salad' flavour.
All sounds very serious? Don't worry, its just good fun.
Gold medal, class 51, Australian Small Winemakers Wine Show 2008.
Rosé 2008 Information Sheet. Cellar Door/Mail Order: $18. Purchase online