Rosé in the pink

Clear days, cool nights and a multitude of even cooler selfies. The seasons may be changing, but there's still plenty of outdoor living yet to be enjoyed as Tasmania heads into another long, mild autumn. 

Pink drinks will still jostle for space in our Eskies as the weeks ahead roll by.

Rosé wines have become one of the Australian wine industry's major success stories over the past decade. As far back as 2015, a report commissioned by the International Organization for Vine and Wine (OIV) noted Australia's rosé production had risen 450% since the year 2000.

And according to Wine Intelligence's Global Trends in Wine 2020, our domestic wine market has moved on a fair bit since then. Pink drinks now have broad consumer appeal in Australia, observes the international market research company. More importantly for Tasmania's small-scale wine producers, this broadening of appeal is being supported by increasing premiumisation within the category. 

In other words, Australians are buying better quality, higher-priced rosé wines.

That's music to the ears of the Laing family, who own and operate Mapleton Vineyards at Tea Tree in Tasmania's Coal River Valley. Their 2019 Mapleton Pinot Noir Rosé won gold at the recent 2020 Tasmanian Wine Show, chaired by respected Sydney wine critic and judge, Huon Hooke.

Hobart-born Paul Laing purchased Mapleton in 2004. Sixteen years on, Laing and his parents Denis and Kathryn have a total of 12 hectares of vines under development. These are located at Mapleton as well as at the adjoining properties of Woodlands and Lynwood.

"When our family acquired Woodlands, it already had three hectares of vines, some of which had been planted in 1992," Laing explains.

"The vineyard had been left in a serious state of neglect for many years. We went through it with a chainsaw and cut all the vines off at ground level. We then took the property's viticulture back to scratch. After years of hard work and a lot of TLC, the vines are once again producing some amazing fruit."

Like many of his peers, Laing says he is looking forward to beginning harvest in another month or so. Vineyards across the State have faced particularly challenging growing conditions over the past half-year. Cool weather during spring and almost incessant winds from September budburst to recent berry colour change (veraison) have combined to retard vine growth and fruit development.

"Grape quality looks great, but we'll have slightly reduced yields this vintage," Laing predicts.

Fellow rosé aficionados Shane Holloway and Fran Austin know exactly how the Laings feel after spending so much of the past decade grappling with vineyard development. The couple purchased their Delamere Vineyards from founders Dallas and Richard Richardson back in 2007. Six years later, they doubled the planted area of their Pipers Brook site with more Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

"We now have 12 hectares of vines, some having been planted as far back as 1982," Holloway says.

"Delamere is one of the district's oldest vineyards. As well as planting new vines, we've spent a lot of time making changes to trellising and pruning regimes. Many of our vines are on top of the hill, and they've been adversely affected by this year's weather and the longer-term trend of declining rainfall."

Despite having a total of almost 40 years' winemaking experience between them, the Delamere duo admit they didn't really consider rosé table wine a significant, premium market segment until relatively recently. Austin credits their change of heart to an overseas study tour she gained as recipient of the Tasmanian wine industry's 2016 Don Martin Sustainable Viticulture Award.

Initiated by Hobart's Alcorso Foundation, the annual $10,000 scholarship commemorates influential Tasmanian viticulturist, the late Dr Don Martin.

"It wasn't until we were touring France, discovering all these wonderful rosés from Provence costing hundreds of dollars a bottle, that we began to give these table wines the respect they deserve," Austin says.

"We liked the idea of taking on a new challenge alongside growing our portfolio of premium sparkling wines. The result was Hurlo's Rosé."

Named in honour of a dearly departed family friend, the couple's new, rarefied product proved a tour de force with the release of its inaugural 2015 vintage. Not only did the wine's ambitious cellar door price of $80 set industry tongues wagging, its unique style and quality had an immediate effect upon respected author, critic and former winemaker, James Halliday.

The man from Coldstream Hills named it among his best four rosé wines of 2019, stating, 'Not for nothing is it the most expensive Australian rose, and you can see why it should be. The scented floral bouquet flows into the complex palate, with both texture and flavour immediately supporting Delamere's suggestion of a 10-year cellaring horizon.'

Sure, Hurlo's Rosé isn't to everyone's taste or their budget. Good examples of the popular wine style can be found in all parts of the State. Add these producers to your rosé shopping list this autumn: Bangor Vineyard Shed, Boomer Creek, Bream Creek, Bruny Island Premium Wines, Cape Bernier, Gala Estate, Goaty Hill, Riversdale Estate and Roaring Beach. All were medal winners in Class 25 (Rosé - any vintage) at the 2020 Tasmanian Wine Show.

First published 29 February 2020: tasmaniantimes.com