Oakridge Yarra Valley Rose of Baton Rouge 2015 $22
It's easy to make ordinary rosé. Syphon pink juice from any old red-ferment vat, cold-ferment it, leave a little residual sugar to make up for the lack of flavour and, voila, you have rosé. Then there's really good rosé like Baton Rouge. Winemaker David Bicknell runs pink pinot noir and pinot meunier juice from the vat after 24-hours skin contact, then ferments it dry in French oak casks. The use of high-quality fruit and barrel fermentation makes a light-bodied, savoury, dry rosé with bright pinot flavours and smooth, silky texture. It's available at Oakridge cellar door and restaurant.
Running with Bulls Barossa Garnacha 2015 $20–$23
Yalumba's new Running with Bulls Garnacha continues the Spanish theme set by the tempranillo previously released under the label. Grenache – long established in Australia's hot, dry wine regions – takes on its Spanish name, garnacha, in a dry, savoury red based on Spain's "joven" (young) style. Winemaker Sam Wigan co-fermented early picked Barossa grenache with a little tempranillo (4 per cent of the blend), including whole bunches. The early picking, in combination with the winemaking techniques (and no oak maturation), yielded a fresh, savoury dry red ready to enjoy now.
Brown Brothers King Valley Prosecco 2015 $17.90–$20
Brown Brothers make a couple of proseccos from their Banksdale vineyard, high up in Victoria's King Valley: a fuller, riper, non-vintage version, and this earlier picked style from a single vintage, currently 2015. Made from the prosecco grape (a native of north-eastern Italy), it's pale in colour, light bodied (11.5 per cent alcohol), bone dry, and pleasantly tart. The increasingly popular style makes a virtue of neutrality, lightness, freshness and tartness. It slips down unnoticed.