Wine Review: Rasa Wines' 'Dead Sexy' Rosé

Gone are the sweet and fluorescent liquids of yore (for the most part) and in their place is a wonderful array of savoury wines that have a more food-friendly European sensibility. In other words, they’ve ditched that ‘adult fire engine’ thing and become all grown up.

Rasa Wines is a fledgling label out of the Barossa Valley made by a bearded bloke called Andrew Cummings whose day job is being a member of the winemaking team at Henschke in the Eden Valley.

I first came across his wines a couple of years ago when a friend who owns a little Italian cooking school in Angaston (Casa Carboni), shoved a bottle into my hands and said I needed to try it. Scribbled on the front in white marker pen was ‘Montepulciano’ a bottling date and nothing else. It turned out that this was Andy’s first wine, which made its way to friends and family. It was a beauty.

Fast forward to today and there are three wines in Andy’s oeuvre: his beautiful Rosé, a Grenache and the Red Blend (a delicious concoction of Mourvèdre and Grenache).

The Rosé is dead sexy; a pale coloured, savoury blend of Mourvèdre and Grenache, whole-bunch basket pressed and aged in old French oak before bottling without fining or filtration. Pure, energetic, and dangerously gluggable, this is wonderful with food or enjoyed barefoot on the lawn. Lovely gear.

Rasa Wines 2016 Barossa Valley Rosé

rasawines.com.au