Terre Nere’s Rosato is something rather unique. Neither a big and brash nor a frivolous and best served ice lolly-cold type of wine, if ever there was a rosé fit for Utopia, this would be it. Why? It delicately but confidently walks a tight-rope, achieving an almost impossible balance between light-hearted pleasure and deeper sophistication. Some rosés are purely for cash-flow and corners get cut, others are over-worked and over-marketed to produce something decadent and cloying. This, however, manages to drink as easily as any refreshing rosé whilst offering a bit more; there is soul and delicacy behind the smiling face.
A hard-fought wine from volcanic vineyards on Etna’s north-facing slope at altitudes of between 600 to 900 metres above sea level, this is made from the high quality Nerello Mascalese grape and is a blend of the estate’s “young” vineyards (aged between 25 and 60 years old!) Soft-pressed to produce the faintest of onion-skin colours, this bristles with cooling red cherry and berry fruit, a hint of peach adds some allure whilst the touches of almond blossom, rock salt and sweet spice bring dimension and prolong the finish. Bright, refined and deeply satisfying without being haughty or complicated, Terre Nere’s is a truly compelling rosé.