Rose Wine Tasting Notes

Hi there, I’m David Evans, co-founder and winemaker at Passage Rock Wines Waiheke Island. We’ve been making award-winning wines here for nearly 30 years. Today, I’m going to talk to you about our rosé. We’re also going to be selling these rosés on the boat that you may be sitting on.

Looking at this video now, rosé for me is a playful wine. It’s a wine that you drink when you’re having a beautiful lunchtime or early evening, enjoying a lovely playful glass of wine with your lunch or dinner. For us, rosé should always be slightly pale in color, light, fruity, and dry. I’m going to talk to you about this rosé and also a little bit about tasting rosé or any wine, for that matter.

When we look at a rosé or any wine, we usually use a really nice crystal glass. My favorite kind of wine glasses are these Schott glasses. The reason I like them is they are very thin and show the color beautifully. They also have a really nice sound.

I only pour a small amount of wine in the glass to let the wine open up a little bit. The first thing I do is look at the color of the wine, usually against a white background. I’ve got a little white background here to observe the color of the wine. Wow, that looks like a beautiful pale pink color. It kind of reminds me of strawberry juice in a way.

The color is beautifully clear, light in the glass, and doesn’t show much thick alcohol, indicating it’s going to be a nice light, easy-drinking rosé. Next, I give it a little bit of a swirl around the glass. This releases the aromas into the glass, enhancing the smell when I take a sniff.

I use a wine aroma wheel to help describe what I’m smelling. It offers descriptors like nuts, spicy, or citrusy aromas. When I smell this wine after giving it a swirl, it smells like strawberries and cream. Summertime strawberries and cream always come to mind for me. I also get a bit of rose and some Turkish delight elements, giving it layers of aroma with some spiciness like anise coming through.

When making rosé, I’m looking for playfulness but also something light that goes well with midday or early evening meals. I’m looking for lightness and crispness to complement my food, served ice cold normally.

Now I’m going to try this wine. This delivers everything I’m hoping for. It has lovely early fruity flavors, nice length, and crispness. I look forward to having a glass of this with my favorite food or friends.

Hopefully, you found this tasting video useful or interesting. If you’ve enjoyed it, please hit like or subscribe, or visit our online shop and buy a bottle of this beautiful rosé. Otherwise, click on another video—we’ve got a huge range of fantastic wines at Passad and we’d love to share a tasting with you. Cheers.

David Evans manager winemaker Passage Rock wines