Natural Wine Co Rose 2015 product reviews

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not a wine snob. I know what I like, I have a fair idea of who will like it, what it could be used for in the kitchen if you are so inclined, and a rough idea of whether it's good value. I'm a 'real world' wine drinker and I would never be caught dead waffling on about the nose on the back or how it has stonefruit in the wash... or whatever the 'experts' ramble on about as though it actually means anything to the Joe Public on the business end of a glass of it. So... if you are OK with an unpretentious wine review... welcome dear reader, please read on.

For those who, like me, have a low tolerance for red wines and thus prefer white wines, a Rose is probably not the first thing you're going to think of as a 'pleasant drop' to enjoy while cosying up to the fireplace in the dead of Winter. But, as I found out when I got a bottle of this to review, you'd be missing out. It won't be to everyone's tastes for sure, but this is actually quite a stunning wine and one that didn't set off fireworks of tanin headaches in me, which every true red wine does. It has a nice mellow flavour, with hints of soft fruits in it that help offset the sharpness and slightly sour notes of tanin for me.

This has probably the nicest 'first impression' I have found in a non-white wine when cracking the cap - it smells of Spring, is the best way I can put it without breaking my own rules and starting to go into 'floral bouquets' and 'savoury herbals', etc. But yes, there are those, for sure... and this is something I miss from white whites, those earthy notes that make it more than 'a nice bit of plonk' but something deeper and more grounded. And it's those very things that made me do something really brutal to this delicate wine... and take it into the kitchen to experiment with. I knew that the first signs of heat would destroy all the lighter volatiles, but it was the deeper, richer flavours I wanted to explore.

Now, as any French and Italian chef knows, no beef mince dish is complete without a generous slosh of red wine thrown in... but since reds set off my cluster headaches, and this Rose doesn't, I thought I would give it a whirl in a Bolognese. What a stunning idea... I don't know why I didn't think of it years ago. OK, I have a good idea why I didn't contemplate it, but you know what I mean. The added flavour and depth this gave to the dish was incredible, adding some really nice subtle flavours that turned a basic dish into a complex symphony of taste. I also used this a few nights later to deglaze a pan after frying some minute steaks and make a light gravy to go with the meat, and it worked a treat! A few nights later, I enjoyed a glass of this with some fresh feijoas, golden kiwifruit and sliced bananas in a bowl, topped with Chantilly Cream, while seated next to the woodburner and watching TV. It added some wonderful strawberry flavours to the dessert and my 3-fruit salad tasted almost like a 4- or even 5-fruit salad as hints of peach and nectarine seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Overall, my only problem with this wine was that it ran out far too soon, and I was left with a hankering for a few more bottles in the cupboard. Moderately priced at around $18-$20 a bottle depending where you look, it's a little on the steeper side for a typical Rose, but you need to keep in mind that this wine is produced in a vinyard that practices some very solid eco-smart and biodynamic growing methods, and that means you end up with a healthier wine, a more interesting and deeper taste profile, and a slightly more expensive bottle. Treat yourself to something different, and give this a try one day soon. The 2015 vintage is quite tasty!