Rosato is the Italian name for rosé, and it’s having a global moment. Generally from indigenous varieties, rosatos pack plenty of flavour and depth combined with amazing freshness and structure. These versatile wines can be sipped with aperitivi (pre-dinner drinks and snacks) and anything you can throw on a braai. Here’s looking at you, Heritage Day!
Both GD Vajra’s Rosabella Rosato and Pio Cesare’s Rosy Langhe Rosato, from Piedmont, are on Forbes’ list of recommended rosatos, while the Etna DOC in Sicily is one of the Wine Advocate’s top regions for the category. Here, Terre Nere’s high altitude and volcanic soils are perfect for producing refreshing rosé.
GD Vajra’s 2023 Rosabella is a ‘gorgeous’ (Vinous) blend of Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto. Blood orange and rose petal meet tart cherries and a delicate, smoothly tannic palate.
Dedicated to their nonna, Pio Cesare’s Rosy Langhe Rosato 2023 is a brilliant Nebbiolo-based rosato with a touch of Syrah. It shows pomegranate, red cherries, dried roses and zesty citrus on the nose, leading to a creamy, well-structured palate and a salty finish.
Finally, from vineyards around the largest active volcano in Europe, Terre Nere’s Etna Rosato 2023 is a masterclass in a bottle. Made from Nerello Mascalese grapes, it’s deeply textural, mineral and saline with beautiful aromatics of flowers, wild strawberries and tangerine. This limited wine was only going to be released in Italy, but we’ve managed to secure a handful of cases. ‘Don’t miss it!’ urges Vinous.
Tasting Notes:
GD Vajra Rosabella Rosato 2023
‘The 2023 Rosato Rosabella is gorgeous, sweetly cherry-fruited and inviting. Nebbiolo lends considerable structure to this Rosé, wrapping blood orange and rose petal tones in a fine web of powdery tannins. Tart, lemony acidity provides a bracing structure, but the mouthfeel remains so round and harmonious. Vajra always represents solid value in Piemonte, and this is certainly no different.’ – Billy Norris, Vinous, 92/100
‘This vintage was bottled just a week before the tasting. 2023 was a very hot vintage, and like in the rest of Italy, Etna also had problems with downy mildew so Terre Nere’s rosé production is minimal: only 4,000 bottles instead of 40,000 in an average year. ‘The rosé from 2023 will only be sold in Italy’, says Marco de Grazia. The harvest took place in late September and the grapes were very concentrated. They were destemmed, and the must stayed in contact with the skins during the night. Fermentation took place in steel tanks. This is a warm and round wine with aromas of yellow peach, tangerine, and pink peppercorn. It has a round mouthfeel without feeling heavy thanks to a backbone of fresh acidity, and the finish is salty and profound.’ – Åsa Johansson, Decanter, 93/100
