50 Shades of Rosé Sparkling Wine Awards 2020

There is plenty that is irresistibly sexy about rosé sparkling wines and if we mix in Fifty Shades then we most certainly have a good pairing!

Rosé sparkling wines are produced around the globe with many sparkling producing wineries having at least one to choose from via their collection of labels. We will also see the eagerly awaited Rosé Prosecco soon to hit the market in 2021 so the global audience of pink fizz will certainly grow as will sales.

So, what about a dedicated annual tasting and awards for rosé sparkling wines? We are very pleased to have organised this at Glass of Bubbly by way of the ‘50 Shades of Rosé Sparkling Wine Awards‘. 2020 was the first ever event and we invited a selection of our close wine professional friends to our new location by the seafront to sit with us and explore the aromas and flavours of our entries. This first year we had exactly 50 labels involved so it was a fun day of tasting and sharing our notes and scores to find the best three and who would take the title of winning the ’50 Shades of Rosé’ award.

 

Our judges were:

Christopher Walkey

Sanjeev Gupta

Karen Krizanovich

Tim Haslam

Paul Laurie

Rupa Datta

(Serving and tasting): Oliver Walkey

 

The wines entered along with a selection of tasting notes were:

 

50 Shades of Rosé 2020 Winner: Fox & Fox Mosaic Rosé 2015 Brut – England

“Good acidity. All flavours mixed from typical English country garden from red currents to nettles. A delight of elegance in the palate yet classy enough to offer a creamy finish.” Christopher Walkey

2nd Place: Graham Beck Brut Rosé – South Africa

“Light pink colouring. Candy sweets in style with summer strawberries on the nose. Flavours are a delightful mixture of strawberries and cream with a long finish.” Paul Laurie

3rd Place: Champagne de Watère Brut Rosé – France

“Vibrant mousse. Strawberries and raspberries in aromas and flavours. Very elegant and creamy. Very well balanced.” Tim Haslam

 

1 Vinska Klet Frelih Rosé Brut Nature – Slovenia

“Light strawberry, rose petals. Yeasty, soft acidity.” – Tim Haslam

2 Vinska Klet Frelih Rosé Brut – Slovenia

“Creamy raspberry initially then a medium acidity style with red berry fruits / freeze dried raspberry.” – Christopher Walkey

3 Radgonske Gorice Selection Rosé Brut – Slovenia

“Aromas of red fruits, yeasty, aluminium and good acidity.” – Sanjeev Gupta

4 Vinarstvo Rebula Rosé 2013 – Slovenia

“Blackberry nose. Soft fruity flavours.” – Karen Krizanovich

5 Vina Stoka Prima Rosé – Slovenia

“Light creamy red fruits on the nose. Dry flavours, red fruits / red candy sweets.” – Christopher Walkey

6 Vina Kobal Penina Rosé – Slovenia

“Vibrant colour – salmon pink. Fruity style and clean.” – Rupa Datta

7 Vin.Co Abruzzo Rosé Brut – Italy

“Nice warm rosé colouring. Darker red berry fruit flavours. Easy to drink. Clean wine.” – Christopher Walkey

8 Hic et Nunc Mete Brut Rosé – Italy

“Clear and pale colour. Light fruits, mostly red on the nose. Red grapes expressed in flavours with a long chalk finish.” – Paul Laurie

 

9 Venturini Baldini Cadelvento – Italy

“Very nice red fruits on the nose. Light and elegant on the palate.” – Tim Haslam

10 Foss Marai Roos – Italy

“Pleasing fresh red fruits on the nose with a touch of watermelon. Wild strawberry flavours with a good dry fruit length.” – Christopher Walkey

11 Codice Citra Primae Lucis Rosé Brut – Italy

“Impressed. Brioche, creamy style – most elegant and silky.” – Tim Haslam

12 Giusti Rosé – Italy

“Dry style with a medium length finish. Light fruits in flavours with a vibrant mousse on the palate.” – Paul Laurie

13 B.Brut Rosé Tradition – Luxembourg

“Very deep in rosé colouring. Big in style, vibrant and red currant on the nose – Mid palate length with notable hints of Turkish Delight.” – Tim Haslam

14 Weinviertler Sekt Jeunesse Rosé – Austria

“Bruised cooking apples, yeast, pastry on the nose. Dry red berry fruits, sweet green fruits in flavours. Easy to drink, ideally as an aperitif – Best served well chilled.” – Christopher Walkey

15 Schlumberger Rosé Brut Klassik – Austria

“Apricot on the nose. Mineral style with a touch of red fruits in flavours.” – Karen Krizanovich

16 Stengel My Rosé – German

“Nettles, sweeter red fruits in flavours.” – Sanjeev Gupta

17 Motzenbacker Rosé – German

“Orange peel and clear colour. Good mousse in the palate. Dry style and a higher alcohol taste sensation.” – Paul Laurie

18 Vilarnau Rosé Brut Reserva – Spain

“Subtle red fruits on the nose. A punchy red fruit flavour with a softer freeze-dried raspberry finish.” – Christopher Walkey

19 Fitz Pink – England

“Deep pink colouring. Raspberry and strawberry on the nose. Medium acidity. Very nice flavours, mousse vibrant though quick to reduce. Fruity on the palate.” – Tim Haslam

 

20 Bolney Estate Cuvée Rosé Brut – England

“Fresh fruitiness with minerals.” – Karen Krizanovich

21 Fox & Fox Mosaic Rosé 2015 Brut – England

“Good acidity. All flavours mixed from typical English country garden from red currents to nettles. A delight of elegance in the palate yet classy enough to offer a creamy finish.” – Christopher Walkey

22 Fox & Fox Expression 2013 – England

“Creamy aromas. Higher acidity in flavours. Fresh. Red fruits.” – Sanjeev Gupta

23 Fox & Fox Midnight 2011 – England

“Very deep rosé colour, almost cherry in appearance. Sour cherry on the palate with a very nice balance.” – Tim Haslam

24 Celene Saphir Rosé Cremant de Bordeaux – France

“Lively aromas, busy mousse. Fruity flavours with a dry/bitter close.” – Rupa Datta

25 Fleurs de Prairie Brut Rosé – France

“Savoury / creamy nose. Pink fruit flavours, lighter expression of red berry fruits with a touch of pink rose petals. Silky smooth in character.” – Christopher Walkey

26 Champagne Jean Plener Fils Brut Rosé – France

“Lively mousse. Darker salmon pink colouring. Crisp red fruits on the nose. Fresh red fruit flavours, dry. A good traditional method sparkling wine with small bubbles.” – Paul Laurie

27 Champagne Vollereaux Rosé de Saignée Brut – France

“I can easily drink a bottle of this!” – Rupa Datta

 

28 Champagne Moutardier Rosé – France

“Dark salmon pink colour. Medium mousse. Toasty, brioche with red fruity flavours. Certainly feels like an aged rosé traditional method.” – Paul Laurie

29 Champagne Albert Beerens Éternel Rosé – France

“Deep red fruity flavours. Certainly a Champagne with a young and fresh character. A saignée or very well made rosé with a magical skin contact balance. This house knows its grapes very well!” – Christopher Walkey

30 Champagne de Watere Brut Rosé – France

“Fresh berry fruits, Very well balanced.” – Karen Krizanovich

31 Altemura Rosamaro – Italy

“Very pale pink. Light flavoured, elegant with fresh red apple / pink floral flavours.” – Tim Haslam

32 Zonin Rosato Brut – Italy

“Chalk, creamy mushroom, raspberry on the nose. A dusty pink fruity and floral tasting experience.” – Christopher Walkey

33 Ferrari Perlé Rosé Trentodoc 2014 – Italy

“Pink / orange colouring. Light mousse expression. Red berries on the nose giving a fine traditional method expression. Orange peel, red berries and herbaceous in flavours.” – Paul Laurie

34 Martinčič Penina Rosé – Slovenia

“Cherry, prunes and red fruit in flavours.” – Sanjeev Gupta

35 Kozinc Joker Zara – Slovenia

“Creamy notes. Elegant freshness and light.” – Tim Haslam

36 Stemberger Penina Rosé – Slovenia

“Strawberry vanilla ice cream in style – Very nice!” – Oliver Walkey

37 Vina Povh Rosé Prestige – Slovenia

“Fresh, fruity and sweet in style.” – Karen Krizanovich

 

38 Vinska Klet Mastnak Valentina Rosé – Slovenia

“Silky on the nose and a relaxed clear and clean style of flavour with softer red fruits including raspberry, red apple skin and watermelon.” – Christopher Walkey

39 Silveri Cuvée Brut Rosé – Slovenia

“Very pale pink. Fresh apple / red fruits on the nose. Very light and fresh, light palate, easy drinking and well balanced.” – Tim Haslam

40 Zlati Gric Penina Brut Rosé – Slovenia

“Fresh aromas with subtle hints of pink grapefruit. Fresh fruits in flavours with a mineral / wet stone edge.” – Christopher Walkey

41 Le Lude Brut Rosé – South Africa

“Very floral and peach in character.” – Sanjeev Gupta

42 Graham Beck Brut Rosé – South Africa

“Light pink colouring. Candy sweets in style with summer strawberries on the nose. Flavours are a delightful mixture of strawberries and cream with a long finish.” – Paul Laurie

43 Ycaabba Grand Rosé 2015 – Russia

“Soft peach, red fruits in flavours. Mid length. Dry finish giving a tight palate suggesting tannin.” – Christopher Walkey

44 Colucci’s Rosé (Extra Dry) – Italy

“Hints of maple syrup / barley sugar in aromas and flavours. Red fruits. Some Residual sugars.” – Tim Haslam

45 Reiterer Rosé Extra Dry – Austria

“Caramel, red apples, cassis on the nose. Deeper orange/red colour. Drier red fruit flavours with a mineral / dried raspberry close.” – Christopher Walkey

46 Badagoni Rosé (Medium Sweet) – Georgia

“Big in style, savoury, mushroom. Old vines and aged?” – Paul Laurie

47 Glubbel Sparkling Mulled Wine – Spain

“Nose gives red sherbet and cola cubes. Sweet in flavours with Tizer / Iron Bru style and a lighter mousse. Amber colouring.” – Sanjeev Gupta

48 Abbesse de Loire Cremant de Loire Rosé (Dry) – France

“Medium pink colouring. Light strawberries / raspberries on the nose. Very elegant palate.” – Tim Haslam

49 Zorz Rosé Penina (Demi-Sec) – Slovenia

“Pink fruits, sour cherry, soft spices on the nose. Hints of iron / tin, dry red fruits in flavours.” – Christopher Walkey

50 Castello del Poggio Piemonte Brachetto (Doux) from Zonin – Italy

“A silky style of a sweeter rosé sparkling wine. A deeper / darker shade of rosé, touching on red. Aromas are very tempting giving over ripe strawberries, freshly picked raspberry and cream. Flavours are sweet though very well balanced with good red fruit acidity. A smooth length touching on an ending of strawberries and cream.” – Christopher Walkey