Rosy glow: Three styles of rosé to try

Not so long ago it was dismissed by the fashionable wine crowd, but pink wine now enjoys the limelight. It's a welcome and long overdue development, given rosé's natural affinity with Australia's climate, cuisine and lifestyle. Wine quality has kept pace, improving out of sight in recent years as winemakers focus on creating pink wines offering real quality and character. It's not just an Australian phenomenon, rosé is the flavour of the times across the wine-sipping world.

Yalumba The Y Series Sangiovese Rosé 2018, $13-$15

Score 87

Fashionably pale, this youthful drop is a great example of how good affordable Australian rosé can be. The nose strikes a nice balance between cherry- and raspberry-like fruit with more savoury, ferment smells. It's dry-ish, soft and juicy with enough light firmness for balance. Screw cap; 11.5 per cent alcohol.

Ageing? No.

Stockists include Rose Bay Drive Liquor, Rose Bay (NSW); Railway Hotel, Windsor (Vic).

Brown Brothers Sparkling Brut Rosé NV, $25-$27

Score 93

Brown Brothers has worked on sparkling wine quality for decades, and it shows. This pink pinot noir-chardonnay-pinot meunier has floral and strawberry patisserie aromas dabbed with yeasty richness. It's smooth, creaming and rich enough, yet also fine and lingering. Cork; 12.5 per cent alcohol.

Ageing? No.

Stockists include Dan Murphy's stores; online at brownbrothers.com.au

L.A.S. Vino Albino PNO 2017, $53-$55

Score 95

Few rosés achieve the quality of this Margaret River pinot noir-chardonnay. Pale copper, its complex red fruit, spice and undergrowthy characters have savoury, subtle backdrops of lees and old oak. Complexity and harmony with classical pinot flavours flow through a sustained delicious finish. Cork; 13.5 per cent alcohol.

Ageing? Drink over four years.

Stockists include