Seeing the world through rosé coloured glasses

I am not going to pretend for one moment that I 'know' about wine. I don’t. I cannot talk about varied acidity, late blooming fruits or undercurrents of earthiness. I am, however, pretty good at picking a good bottle from the shelf, I care about what I drink and I hate drinking rubbish.

And I firmly believe that wine is one of life's great pleasures.

Rosé Revolution is in effect a marketing initiative to introduce the Aussie wine-drinker to the growing selection of dry rosés being produced in Australia. The 'Revolution' was launched at events all around the country last Wednesday, 14 November and unofficially lasts all summer. Or until we all start drinking rosé.

At Kettle & Tin.

This is not a tough sell for me. I am a fan of rosé and have deplored the tendency of Australian wine makers to produce pink that is sweet and girly. Rosé is the perfect drink for the south of France, Italian summers and sunny Queensland afternoons on friend's balconies.  I would buy rosé all through summer if I knew I could get hold of a decent dry drop. So when I found out about the Rose Revolution and the free wine tasting at Kettle & Tin, I was there in a pink flash. 

Taking a fellow rosé lover with me, I spent a delightful afternoon sampling a myriad of blushing drinks. There were some 40 plus wines on offer, far too many to taste in two hours, especially when you have to get yourself home afterwards. Nevertheless, I tasted some delicious wines from all over the country and would like to sincerely thank Kettle & Tin and the Wine Punter, for being such excellent hosts, and the charming Mark from De Bortoli Wines, who are supporting the Revolution nationwide.

 Some of the selection at the launch of Rose Revolution.

Two days later, on Friday evening last I had my first christmas event for the year, a catch up dinner with my hot lady friends at Euro. Before heading to dinner and inspired by the events of the week, I made a quick trip to the bottle shop and picked by a Luna Rosa 2010 Rosada. There had been a representative from Luna Rosa at the launch and I seemed to remember enjoying the Rosada. Perhaps not so tasty the second time around but for a $15 bottle, I had no real complaints. It was perfectly matched the dying sun on my balcony and Anna Karenina.

Completely unrelated to drinking wine...

Saturday night I was at a hen's party where my official Rosé Revolution glasses - given out at the launch on Wednesday - proved to be the perfect hen's accessory. And yes, I took the rest of my Friday afternoon bottle to the party. There is only so much bubbly I can drink and I was going nowhere near the tequila.

On a fifth floor balcony, overlooking the river, I have a Marilyn moment 

as the storm rages behind me. 

The final stage in my week of rosé appreciation was the one I had been most eagerly anticipating. In August I visited McLaren Vale and came back with the requisite carton of wine. In that carton were two rosés, a Hugh Hamilton 2011 Sangiovese Rosé 'The Floozie' and a K1 by Geoff Hardy 2011 Rosé. I was keen to enjoy them as I thought they should be enjoyed, with good food and good company, on a terrace on a steamy summer afternoon. My good friend and wine-drinking buddy Caz (not her real name*), was happy to help. 

Hugh Hamilton was my favourite of the wineries we visited in McLaren Vale. I could easily have come away with a mixed dozen.

Unfortunately, Sunday evening's storm and hail did rather spoil the mellow mood but they couldn't spoil the wines. For me, the Hugh Hamilton was exactly what I want a rosé to be; light, fresh, crisp with a little bit of personality and oh-so easy to drink. 

Rosés should never be watered down or sweetened up reds. They shouldn't be overly alcoholic or heavy. They are a delicious medium wine that fills a gap in your drinking day better than anything else. Between the lunch time white and your dinner red, there should be an afternoon rosé

Be part of the Rosé Revolution and this summer, drink pink.

 
*her real name is Caroline.