la vie en roesé

Back in the bad old 80s days of shoulder pads, scary perms and power lunches, there were only three pink wines of which Kiwis partook, and they were pink Chardon, pink Marque Vue and Mateus Rosé. They were lolly-like and super-sweet and generally dull as dishwater to drink. Menfolk almost certainly steered clear. Then about a decade ago, a sea change occurred, and suddenly wineries began releasing rosés that followed a clean, dry, crisp spectrum of flavours. Those sweet, blousy bottles began to take a back seat and a new wave with international appeal began washing up on our wine shop shelves. Local winemakers began treating rosé as a serious style and not just an afterthought. Rosés became ‘purpose-built’ and not just something knocked together.

Today, everywhere you look and across team wanted to assess both still and sparkling styles of Kiwi-made rosé, and the volume of entries proves both categories are growing fast!