Pretty in pink: Top rosés from hard-working producers

In a lifetime of winemaking, Keith Hentschke has never stopped getting his hands dirty – in every sense.

In the early days that meant scrabbling through the South Australian dirt like a gold-digger on the hunt for the perfect Barossa Valley soil to plant vines. He ended up striking the jackpot through a timely meeting with a grieving widow but more on that later.

Nowadays, Hentschke (note the “T” that differentiates him from the eponymous winemaking Henschke family) can survey with pride the rolling acres of his Hentley Farm winery in the Barossa that delivers unashamedly upmarket vintages. But he’s still very much hands-on with the management and care of an estate at one point judged the best in Australia by James Halliday.

The same drive that made him establish a winery from scratch almost 30 years ago is making him think about wooing younger wine lovers, by using the same skills and standards to make what he dubs “a more approachable, less serious” label.

Step forward Hentley Farm’s Villain and Vixen range, whose rose is part of this week’s mixed-case offer from The Australian Wine Club – all yours at a discount of more than a third.

Our foursome of roses includes a 94-pointer from WA, a McLaren Vale rose awarded 92 points and a grenache-dominant Barossa beauty.

Hentley Farm’s V&V offering is already off to a winning start, being named Best Rose at the 2024 Barossa Wine Show

That prize is further proof that Hentschke struck figurative gold when finding the site to plant his Hentley Farm vineyard in the late 1990s.

While working for various big names in the Barossa, he was advised by colleagues to “look for the terra rossa soils of the Barossa”.

“To me that was something from the Coonawarra, but they told me about a strip of them in the northwest section of the Barossa,” Keith says.

Baulking at the thought of digging holes on spec like a viticultural mole, Keith walked into his local library in the Barossa town of Tanunda, and to his amazement found a soil map of the valley from the 1950s – literally colour-coded.

Armed like a treasure hunter, he combed the areas marked in red and identified one particular property full of undulating topography, a creek to supply water and some weathered but restorable outbuildings.

“So I went and knocked on the door, and it just so happened that a lady answered and unfortunately her husband had just recently died. Their kids didn’t want to take over and the property was too big for her, so she was a willing seller.”

That was the point where the hand-dirtying became literal in the extreme. Asking his viticulture mates for help, they dug around the property to understand the soil variances and where to plant what grapes.

That was in 1997, and by 2015 Hentley Farm had been awarded Best Vineyard in Australia by Halliday – that was followed seven years later by the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy, awarded to the best one- or two-year-old red wine in the country.

“If I’ve done something that has worked well, apart from finding the property, it’s to employ some very, very talented people that have a really strong drive of excellence,” says Keith.

“Our chief winemaker, Andrew Quinn, we got him in 2008, he was a casual winemaker for Yalumba. We couldn’t afford a senior winemaker at the time because we were small back then.

“I could tell he had the passion, he was clever, he had a vision. His drive is phenomenal, he’s out there today, he still works 120-hour weeks over vintage.”

This week’s offer from The Australian Wine Club showcases rose at a serious discount.

Hentley Farm Villain & Vixen Barossa Valley Rose 2024

The palest pink hue in the glass presages a subtle but aromatic nose of red fruits, cherry and raspberry in particular, mingling with floral notes and beeswax. There’s a smooth change of gear into a nicely tangy palate of red fruits, rhubarb and strawberry jelly with cream. 11.5% alc, RRP $$24.50.

SPECIALS $22.99 a bottle in any dozen, $16.99 a bottle in our Summer Rose dozen.

Marchand & Burch Villages Rose 2023

Freshness dominates this WA offering, with summer berries immediately to the fore amid aromas of raspberry and redcurrant. An undertow of citrus and floral notes leads nicely to the fruit-driven palate, set off by a smidgen of spice and a tangy acidity. 94 points, James Halliday Wine Companion. 12.5% alc, RRP $28.

SPECIALS $26.99 a bottle in any dozen, $16.99 a bottle in our Summer Rose dozen.

Tscharke Grenache Rose 2023

While the pale salmon colour looks familiar, the flavour dial shifts subtly starting with streaks of mandarin on the nose, underpinned by floral notes but also a faint wash of grapefruit and some intriguing smokiness. The palate too is bright with sweet orange and spice, a little orange jelly too, plus fresh acidity and minerality. 13.5% alc, RRP $23.

SPECIALS $17.99 a bottle in any dozen, $16.99 a bottle in our Summer Rose dozen.

Fenetre Lavande McLaren Vale Rose 2022

A rose made for food – quite possibly salmon sashimi to match the pinkness in the glass. The nose is a delicate mix of red fruits and rose petals but the palate steps forward quickly with a concentrated but elegant wash of raspberry and similar berries. 92 points, Wine Orbit. 12.5% alc, RRP $30.

SPECIALS $19.99 a bottle in any dozen, $16.99 a bottle in our Summer Rose dozen.

SUMMER ROSE DOZEN Three bottles of each wine above for $16.99 a bottle. SAVE $118.62.

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.