No need for any other name, rose the life of the summer party

The rise and rise of rose over recent years has been little short of stunning.

A good rose, however, is much, much more than a good looker.

Are you choosing rose to celebrate summer living more often than in the past?

The rise and rise of rose over recent years has been little short of stunning.

When I was managing wine shops a little more than 10 years ago, one of Australia’s bigger wine brands had to launch a multimillion-dollar “rose revolution” campaign to drum up more interest in the pink drink.

Nowadays, elegant roses from France, Spain and Australia are welcome guests at many summer parties – and the Mediterranean-inspired style is evolving and being taken more seriously by Australian drinkers and winemakers.

The Australian Wine Club joins the evolution, offering four delicate roses – two Australian and two French – as the first of our special deals in 2023 presented in this column each week.

Heading the list is Margaret River’s Miles from Nowhere 2021 Rose, a value-packed wine crafted by French-born Frederique Perrin that has scored a swag of awards globally including double gold medals in San Francisco and China.

Miles from Nowhere founder Franklin Tate believes rose’s path to popularity has been paved by putting a focus on the colour of the wine itself.

“Perhaps more than any other wine, we’ve learnt that it’s the colour that really matters,’’ Franklin says. “Going back a few years, many Australian roses tended to look like ink, with a bright, red colour.

“About five years ago, the penny started to drop and Australia started to produce more roses with that beautiful, soft, translucent, pale salmon colour and that’s changed the stakes.”

The importation of more rose from Provence in southern France – whose winemaking fraternity has created roses with a salmon hue for centuries – also drove this style change locally.

A good rose, however, is much, much more than a good looker – it should capture a balance between fresh, subtly sweet fruit flavours and gentle savouriness and spicy complexity.

“You want a lovely nose of strawberries and rose petals and an attack of crisp, fresh juiciness on the palate with a savoury mouthfeel,’’ Franklin says. “When you get a tingling sensation, you know you’ve got the balance right.”

Miles from Nowhere choses to make its rose from shiraz grown in the southern part of Margaret River – with just a tiny bit of muscat a petit grains rouge to add complexity – but there’s no “correct” grape to use in making rose. Grenache and pinot noir are commonly used in southeastern Australia.

In Provence, almost 90 per cent of the grapes are used for rose, including varieties such as grenache, cinsault, shiraz, mourvedre and vermentino.

“It’s a case of what’s best for your terroir,’’ says Franklin, who’s been in the wine game since the 1980s when his father, John Tate, established Evans & Tate and brought Margaret River’s classic semillon sauvignon blanc blend to the masses.

Our club president, James Halliday, also has been urging more wine lovers to discover the ethereal joys of rose as an accompaniment to our Asian-inspired cuisine and Mediterranean climate.

To get your juices flowing, Franklin recommends pairing the Miles from Nowhere rose with either a dish of tamarind prawns and green papaya salad or grilled duck with kumquat sauce.

What’s not to like? Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.

A good rose, however, is much, much more than a good looker.

Miles From Nowhere Margaret River Rose 2021

Lifted aromas of strawberries, cherry blossom, musk sticks and rose petals lead to a crisp, juicy palate of subtle wild berries, fruits of the forest and baking spices. The lovely translucent hue is the result of careful light pressing of the shiraz grapes and a slow fermentation in stainless steel. Outstanding value. 13% alc; RRP $21 a bottle.

SPECIALS $14.99 a bottle in any dozen; $17.49 in Rose dozen

Moulin de Pontfract Rose 2021

This native of Var is classic Provence: grenache and cinsault, overflowing with gentle aromas of spring flowers and strawberries; soft on the palate with a refreshing burst of natural acid driving the citrus and savoury flavours. The background story to Moulin de Pontfract is also a classic: winemaker Xavier Paul has been making beautiful rose since World World II. Now in his 90s, he oversees harvest operations from a hilltop, directing his pickers via walkie-talkie. The Moulin de Pontfract style never goes out of fashion. 12.5% alc; RRP $26 a bottle.

SPECIALS $18.99 a bottle in any dozen; $17.49 in Rose dozen

Aix Quisite Rose 2020

From Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence comes a more serious rose: pink grapefruit and lemon sorbet on the nose; full palate of expressive citrus and berry flavours with a vein of minerality delivering a dry lingering finish. It’s a blend of cinsault, grenache and vermentino (known in Provence as rolle). Our buyer in France, Jean Marc Sauboua, believes Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, with its superb grape-growing climate, offers superb quality wines at excellent prices. 12.5% alc; RRP $32 a bottle.

SPECIALS $23.99 a bottle in any dozen; $17.49 in Rose dozen

Zonte’s Footstep Scarlet Ladybird Rose 2022

A blend of grenache and cabernet sauvignon from South Australia’s Fleurieu region fuels this double gold medal winner. Brilliant salmon pink in the glass; appealing aromas of violets, raspberry and red apple; strawberries, macerated cherries and perfume spice flavours. Lush and zingy, with soft tannins on the finish. Sophisticated winemaking on show. 13% alc; RRP $25 a bottle.

SPECIALS $19.99 a bottle in any dozen; $17.49 in Rose dozen

ROSE SPECIAL DOZENThree bottles of each wine above for $17.49 a bottle. SAVE $102

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Order online or phone [phone] Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm AEST. Deals available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550.