It was another warm day in Melbourne yesterday, so I though it was time to crack open a rosado (Spanish for pink, better known as rose). I think pink wines are some of the best food wines getting around, they are fresh, crisp and match well with complex foods without overpowering them. They usually have a good wack of acid which helps to clean up any oily bits of food etc. If you head to Spain, or in fact many Mediterranean areas, you'll see heaps of people drinking the stuff with their lunch. There should be more of it here in Aus. This style of dry rose from Spain is a killer in the price stakes as well, very good for 14 bucks.
This rosado is basically a rose version of Sangre de Toro, it is made from a mix of grenacha and cariñena. The wine is a brilliant cherry red in colour, with a nose of strawberry and some floral notes. A bit spritzy in the mouth, bone dry, with some red cherry, strawberry and some bitter herb notes. Black pepper and a good hit of acid on the finish make this a really good food wine. I'd drink it with a range of foods, but a good paella of chicken, pork, maybe even a bit of rabbit would be a great match. 87 Pts
Source: Winestar Price: $13.95 Closure: Screwcap
Web: www.torres.es
I had a bottle of this in the sun over lunch in Tarragona. It’s nice. I remember it being slightly sweet though? Is this correct ;]\
GW
Not a lot of sweatness, you might call it off, off, off dry. The 03 had a bit of sweetness to it, not lolly material tho….
Not sweet, but the dreaded dried strawberry…
My 1/2 note from August this year:
Torres De Casta Rosado, 2004, Catalonia, 13.5%.
A rose from garnacha and carinena. Still good colour and some acid, but the fruit is dulling, heading off into dried strawberry territory.
I reckon shop storage conditions can really hammer rosado (and rose), and I’d prefer that gear maybe only one or one-and-a-bit vintages behind.
I’ve never had a dried strawberry (well that I can remember anyway), do you mean a kind of light and bitter strawberry flavour?
I agree on the age, rose of any kind needs to be fresh, champagne is the exception of course….
old fruit + dusty + kind of dried-sweet character = dried strawberry
Try eating one and see. They are good in muffins, especially dried wild strawberries. Expensive, but tasty.
Thanks for the recommendation - I learned to love rosado in Spain, and Torres has always been reliable, so I’ll give this a go if I see it.
If you are looking for something really good, have a look at the Cillar de Silos Rosado. They don’t make a lot of it, but it is the best rosado/rose wine I’ve had.