Rosé spans the colours that sit between white and red wine. From pale salmon to vibrant and deep reds, the rosé colour is created when the wine comes into contact with the skins from red varietals (like pinot noir, sangiovese, grenache, aglianico, cabernet sauvignon and shiraz to name a few). Rosé wines are produced after being stained by red pigment for a short period of time – usually only hours.
Almost any red grape can be used to make rosé and there are three methods – saignée, maceration or blending – typically used to produce the wine.
Below we get to know six styles of Australia rosé from Chalmers, Handpicked Wines, Lisa McGuigan Wines, Medhurst Wines, Mitchelton, and Turkey Flat. Priced between $25–35, each of these rosé wines deserves a place on your table this summer.
Chalmers
Winemaker Bart van Olphen says: The Chalmers Rosato is made from mostly aglianico with a splash of nero d’Avola and sagrantino. All three varieties originate from southern Italy and are growing on the prized top block at our Heathcote vineyard on Mount Camel Ridge. It’s a wonderfully complex, rocky site with green basalt, ironstone, dolerite and fractured limestone. The block gives a distinct elegance and prettiness to the red varieties grown there (even though these varieties are usually more muscular). The Chalmers drive and passion for importing alternative climate appropriate varieties into Australia has changed the landscape of the Australian wine scene. The varieties used in the Chalmers Rosato were some of the first varieties imported over 25 years ago.
H. What makes this rosé unique?
BvO. The aglianico portion of this rosé is fermented in old oak barrels, while the other two are co-fermented in tank to retain those bright, lifted, and fresh characters. The result is an eminently drinkable rosé that is dry, textural and slippery. It's not just joy in a glass, but a wine that has substance and savoury interest, and lends itself to drinking on its own or at the dinner table.
H. How do you approach the winemaking process?
BvO. A very hands-off approach to winemaking is used to showcase the site and varieties. Hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed with wild yeasts ferments, aglianico in old barriques and a large format chestnut barrel, the nero d’Avola and sagrantino are fermented in stainless steel, partial malolactic fermentation and aged on fine lees for six months (vegan).
Wine to try
2022 Chalmers Rosato
Dry and savoury, with notes of rhubarb, rose, wild strawberry and pink grapefruit.Best enjoyed: The Chalmers Rosato has become a staple in the range. Its dry and savoury style is suitable for many occasions: a great drink on its own, shared with family and friends, or enjoyed in the park with a picnic, on the beach with fresh seafood, or at the dinner table with a scallop and pink grapefruit ceviche.
RRP $29 | Drink to 2025 | Shop this wine | Chalmers
Handpicked Wines
Chief winemaker Peter Dillon says: The idea behind making this wine was that it's a style of rosé that we want to drink! It is made with sangiovese, and we aim for it to be light in colour and savoury in character. Sangiovese provides us with a wine that has the classic tannin and acidity that comes from this native Italian variety – while still clean and refreshing in style.
H. What makes this rosé unique?
PD. The Handpicked Regional Rosé is unique in that it is truly happy as an aperitif, but it also pairs beautifully with classic summer foods and picnics. We focus on making a rosé that is dry, long and slightly salivating (and that doesn't have too much colour)!
H. How do you approach the winemaking process?
PD. We pay a lot of attention to finding the optimal balance at the press. We don't want to waste any precious juice, but at the same time we avoid over-extracting to avoid excessive colour and tannin that will detract from the balance of the wine. We also like to ferment a portion in large format oak to provide some extra texture and interest.
Wine to try
2022 Handpicked Regional Selections Yarra Valley Rosé
This wine is made with sangiovese. The fruit was pressed gently, picking up just enough colour on the way. The wine had a short maturation in tank and older oak and is made to drink now while fresh and youthful. From gently pressed grapes, picking up just enough colour on the way – clear and light salmon. The nose has vibrant red fruit and spice aromas and the palate has juicy redcurrant and strawberry flavours that morph into savoury spiced notes.Best enjoyed: The 2022 is best enjoyed under an umbrella whilst reclining on a banana lounge, with your feet in the pool (and ideally someone else is tending the barbecue and the salads are made and waiting to be served). It's also a fantastic wine paired with pan-fried rainbow trout and garlic potatoes.
RRP $29 | Drink now | Shop this wine | Handpicked Wines
Lisa McGuigan Wines
Winemaker Lisa McGuigan says: When I am not drinking something bubbly, the Renaissance Rosé is my drink of choice on a hot summer day.
H. What makes this rosé unique?
LM. Apart from the fact that the label is made from my second favourite material, velvet (after metal), I love that this wine is not a super sweet, big fruit-driven rosé. It's not a light, crisp Provence-style rosé either – this is a delicious, elegant, modern rosé that is perfectly balanced.
H. How do you approach the winemaking process?
LM. I create wines that are the perfect addition to any dinner party. They look fabulous, and the wines are excellent quality and suit most palates.
Wine to try
2023 Lisa McGuigan Renaissance Rosé
Pink with salmon notes, the nose has savoury notes, spice and perfumed rose petal. Savoury rose petals on the palate.Best enjoyed: This wine is best served chilled and on its own.
RRP $35 | Drink to 2027 | Shop this wine | Lisa McGuigan Wines
Medhurst Wines
Winemaker Rohan Smith says: A blast to produce and fun to drink, every part of this single-vineyard wine screams rosé. The fruit is grown specifically for rosé, and extreme attention to detail is given during the entire production process. The final blend is 50 per cent cabernet sauvignon and 50 per cent shiraz. The cabernet provides a fineness of structure and the shiraz provides lovely, delicate red fruits.
H. What makes this rosé unique?
RS. The intensity of this rosé is quite special from an aromatic and flavour perspective – there's lovely fruit definition and concentration across the palate. It's a reflection of the site it comes from, and it's a rosé from inception to bottle. From vine to glass, every step and decision in the process is careful and deliberate.
H. How do you approach the winemaking process?
RS. After handpicking, the fruit is cooled overnight and whole-bunch pressed the following morning to allow for a pure extraction of juice. Yields are finely controlled to ensure this juice is delicate, pale and intensely flavoured. The rosé is fermented in stainless steel (95 per cent) with the remaining five per cent transferred to used French oak hogsheads for barrel fermentation to enhance texture and mouthfeel.
Wine to try
2023 Medhurst Estate Rosé
Brilliant in appearance with a copper blush and a vibrant pale pink hue. Aromatics of wild strawberries, grapefruit and jasmine, the palate is fine and textured with cassis and hints of passionfruit and bay leaf. The long, chalky, delicate line of the wine is a trademark of this single vineyard rosé.Best enjoyed: Assemble some great company and charge your glass with this serious rosé. Serve slightly chilled with fresh seafood or a grazing platter.
RRP $30 | Drink now | Shop this wine | Medhurst Wines
Mitchelton
Winemaker Leigh Ritchie says: The Preece Rosé offers us a great opportunity to discover the tastiest combination of rosé wines from each vintage. We typically produce rosé portions from grenache, mourvèdre and shiraz, and from there we blend the wine to best express the season.
H. What makes this rosé unique?
LR.The Mitchelton Preece Rosé is a great example of the unique mesoclimate that our vineyards are grown in. The cooling effect of the Goulburn River supports the growing of both white and rose wines, which display flavourful fruit on the palate while maintaining a balanced acid for structure.
H. How do you approach the winemaking process?
LR. The rosé portions are sectioned off in the vineyard and the entire viticultural approach is focused on producing grapes suited for rosé wine. This focus is maintained through the harvest period, once in the winery, the ferments are cool and steady in stainless steel vessels in an aim to preserve all the flavour and nuance in the fruit.
Wine to try
2022 Mitchelton Preece Rosé
Bright, fleshy fruit flavours of red berries, white citrus are complemented by lemongrass and ginger and clothe the natural, fine acid backbone. The savoury, textural fine tannins build through the palate to deliver a persistent and balanced finish with a sense of freshness. Nuanced and layered aromas of citrus, redcurrant and sour cherry along with distinctive rosemary and ginger scents.Best enjoyed: This wine is best enjoyed chilled – straight out of the ice bucket. The Preece is suited to summer, autumn, and spring occasions. Serve with a cheese plate and good friends.
RRP $22 | Drink now | Shop this wine | Mitchelton
Turkey Flat
Winemaker James Adams says: Our rosé is made in a lighter, more aromatically driven and sophisticated style, that brings a crunchy acidity and fine texture. We create a style that offers the drinker a real sensory experience. Rosé is a challenging style to get right, so we pay close attention to optimal balance of purity of fruit and ultimate refreshment. It’s an extremely rewarding wine to produce.
H. What makes this rosé unique?
JA. We've been producing rosé out of the Barossa Valley for nearly 30 years. Today, our house style is produced using grenache, which lends itself beautifully to this style of wine. It consistently offers vibrant colour, pure red berry fruits and textural phenolics, all while being picked slightly earlier to retain as much natural acidity and lower the alcohol.
H. How do you approach the winemaking process?
JA. For us, rosé begins in the vineyard. We source our fruit from dedicated blocks grown solely for the purpose of this wine. Our vineyards are picked and vinified separately, at differing ripeness levels, with minimal skin contact to achieve the balance of acidity, phenolics and fruit characteristics we desire. Cool, long ferments in stainless steel gives us the best results for aromatic purity and consistency of style.
Wine to try
2023 Turkey Flat Rosé
Our 2023 Turkey Flat Rosé is dominated by fresh aromatic strawberry, candied apple, and delicate florals with subtle supportive hints of white pepper, spice and blood orange. The palate is full of an energetic tension, with red berry fruit and peach encapsulated in a powdery talc-like textural grip. The finish is long and savoury, with an evident creaminess adding volume and depth.Best enjoyed: This wine has the versatility to match any food style it meets. We think it's best enjoyed around a table with good friends and a charcuterie board – ideal for long, lazy afternoons.
The Turkey Flat Rosé is also available in cans.
RRP $25 | Drink now | Shop this wine | Turkey Flat
