GET SERIOUS

The food-friendly, considered wines in the recent tasting prove that NZ’s love for rosé is far more than a passing fad, writes JOHN SAKER.

NEW ZEALAND IS under the spell of rosé. It is currently the fastest-growing wine category in the country, as shown by the sharp increase of entries into this

Cuisine tasting – up 20 per cent from last year. The growth in quantity is matched by an upswing in quality. Every year there are more rosés that excite (and are rewarded by) the tasting panel. “The rise of New Zealand rosé is not just a fad,” said panel chair John Belsham. “It’s a wine style that now deserves to be taken seriously. We’re seeing more considered wines made from premium fruit. Winemakers are coming to grips with how to make a style in our relatively cool climate.” Master sommelier and tasting panel member Cameron Douglas was particularly pleased that more food-friendly rosés were emerging. “Lolly water doesn’t work with food. Now we’re seeing drier wines, lighter in colour, with more delicate flavours that are great food partners.”