Four pink-hued rosé beauties, made for summer quaffing

As the Australian wine industry grapples with a serious grape glut, especially at the so-called cheap-and-cheerful end, wines that can tell a story have a better chance of standing out from the crowd.

That’s why everyone of Brad Rey’s wines under the Zonte’s Footstep label has a name – like the Scarlet Ladybird Rosé, monikered after the helpful insects that feast on grape-damaging aphids. The 2022 vintage is one of a quartet of rosés in this week’s special offer dozen from The Australian Wine Club, curated with the thought of summer just days away.

The evolution of Australian rosé is an ongoing source of debate, after its transition over the past 10 to 15 years from darker, sweetly fruit-driven iterations to much drier, pale pink examples, and now back towards somewhere in between.

Rey is obviously amused at the whole question of where Aussie rosé should sit, almost 30 years after he tried to persuade his bosses at Wirra Wirra in McLaren Vale that they should get ahead of the game and make a rosé to be proud of.

That’s why, a couple of years after establishing his own vineyard in 2003, Rey put that into practice himself – even if, in the first vintages, he deliberately darkened them with a dash of grenache to satisfy the then-consumer taste.

“I wanted to make a more food-friendly, crunchy rosé, especially with the amazing Asian influence that we have and the amount of great-quality Asian food that we get in Australia,” Rey says.

“I think rosé is one of the best examples that we can actually offer for it (Asian food). But the quandary of rosé for the consumer is, is it dry, is it sweet, is it fruity, is it austere?

“So what we just try to do is make a balanced, food-friendly, drinkable rosé that we can quaff during the warmer months and that goes well with Asian foods.”

It’s instructive that Rey has had experience on both the making and marketing sides of the wine industry, understanding the need to stand out.

Even the name of the winery has a story – the land was originally used to grow zante currant grapes in the 1890s, and Rey wanted to honour that history. But wine law decrees that only the names of grapes used in an actual wine can be included in its name – and so Zante discreetly became Zonte.

Rey continually reminds himself of the basic tenets of running a wine business as laid down to him decades ago by a renowned Californian winemaker, the late Jim Belcenen, sentiments that are reflected in this week’s special offer case.

“This guy was an absolute 1950s stoner from California who was more intelligent when he was stoned than I am sober,” Rey says.

“He taught me three things: one, respect the dirt that you’re paying the bank for and the fruit that you’re growing on it, because it’s the only thing that makes you different to any of your competitors.

“Number two, make a wine that puts a smile on your consumer’s face. And number three, when you actually ask them to pay for it, (make sure) they’re still smiling.

“He said, ‘If you can do that, you’ll survive this business’.

“My job is to simplify the enjoyment of wine and give people a choice and an array that they can come back and experience.

“To me, wine is a category where you want to sit down with people and talk about it in an open and sharing manner around food.”

Zonte’s Footstep Scarlet Ladybird Rosé 2022

All the crispness and freshness you could want in a lovely summer refresher starts on the nose, full of tart fruit and soft, rounded edges. The raspberry notes continue on the tongue, side by side with strawberries and pomegranate that’s all washed in pitch-perfect levels of acid and a touch of textural citrus. 94 points, World Value Wine Challenge. 13% alc, RRP $25 a bottle.

SPECIALS $19.99 in any dozen, $15.99 a bottle in our rosé dozen.

Chateau Tanunda Dry Rosé 2022

The breadth of fruit here is beguiling, opening with strawberries and raspberries on the nose followed by flashes of orange peel and tangerine. Dried cranberry notes appear in the mouth, with more lusciously ripe berries and hints of blood orange, but the effect is still dry and savoury. 12.5% alc, RRP $25 a bottle.

SPECIALS $21.99 in any dozen, $15.99 a bottle in our rosé dozen.

Bleasdale Langhorne Creek Rosé 2022

As if to show off rosé’s breadth of appeal, the nose here is full of floral aromas with subtle citrus, pure cherry, watermelon and even a hint of vanilla. Sip it to discover more citrus, especially lemon, hints of raspberry and grapefruit, and a steely acidity to package the whole. A perfect complement to prawns on the barbecue. 93 points, Halliday Wine Companion. 11.5% alc, RRP $20 a bottle.

SPECIALS $18.99 in any dozen, $15.99 a bottle in our Rosé dozen.

Ponting Rianna Rosé 2024

Named for Ricky Ponting’s wife and business partner. As you open up this youthful number from the ex-Aussie captain’s eponymous label, you’ll be enveloped in the sweet embrace of honey, citrus, strawberries and candy floss on the nose. The honey and strawberries follow into the mouth, with crisp acidity and a creamy palate. 13% alc, RRP $25 a bottle.

SPECIALS $19.99 in any dozen, $15.99 a bottle in our Rosé dozen.

ROSÉ DOZEN Three bottles of each wine above for $15.99 a bottle. SAVE $93.

Order by simply clicking the links to our online store or telephone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm AEST. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550. Stockhead is partnering with The Australian Wine Club on this offer.