Pink or Rosé Wines (pron. rose-ay)
In Australia, Rosé has been rediscovered and becoming the wine of choice for outdoor dining occasions and for those who are ahead of the trends. A fun wine, Australian Rosé comes in a range of styles and hues from pale onion skin colors to shocking fuchsia and from dry to sweet.
Rosé wines are made by pressing ripe, red grapes but only leaving the juice in contact with the skins for a short while so the wine acquires a pink blush. These wines are at their best young, while they are still fresh and vibrant.
Enjoyed chilled, it's an increasingly popular option during warm Aussie days. This is particularly true of red wine drinkers, who just can’t bear the transition to a true white wine despite the heat.
Australian winemakers are using their favorite grapes such as Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Grenache for these Australian Rose wines. With their tendency to produce more complex flavors, Australian Rosés fall mid-way between whites and fuller bodied reds.
Barbera (pron. bar-bear-rah)
The Barbera grape's origins are unknown but the Monferrato in Italy’s Piedmont is frequently sited as the variety's birthplace. Barbera has some of the flavor characteristics you would find in a Cabernet Sauvignon but with higher acid levels.
Australian Barbera wines are fairly new to the market with the warm climate regions having good success. Barbera is suited to some of Australia's regions as it’s evidently at home in hot temperatures. Barbera vines are vigorous and reliably productive in a wide variety of soils and also highly resistant to fungal diseases. The fruit is naturally high in acid, which it retains very well, even in hot climates.
Barbera wines are deep ruby color, have luscious berry flavors with medium body and low tannin levels. Its chief characteristic is its high level of natural acidity even when fully ripe, a distinct advantage in a hot climate. It's higher acid levels translate to crispness and approachability making it an especially good match for full flavored foods when combined with tomato sauces.
Dolcetto (pro. dol-chetto)
Dolcetto roughly translates from Italian as the "little sweet one" and is predominately grown in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. You won’t see much Dolcetto grown in Australia but what there is, is just fantastic.
Dolcetto is a red wine grape that can make a wonderfully fruity wine. With lots of up front fruit and soft tannins this wine is very approachable in its youth. The color is purple with fragrances resembling licorice and almonds. The wines are fairly sweet even though the sugar levels of this grape are no higher than the norm. It is the low tannin level that exaggerates the sugar level and provides the lovely sweetness.
Dolcetto is exceptionally food friendly and pairs well with a wide variety of dishes, particularly spaghetti with any red (tomato) sauce. Best enjoyed one to three years after harvest.
Check out our Food and Wine Pairing Table to see the best choice for your Australian red wines
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