I Vigneri (Salvo Foti), Vinudilice Rosato, Etna Rosato

Freshly laded locally. I remember vintages of Vinudilice tasting randomly of clotted strawberries, madeira, formic acid, sous voile, whisky, and/or cocoa. Well this 2022 has a way to go before it manifests any of those characteristics. But patience! NOSE: barely touched with primary fermentation vanilla standing in front of watermelon rind, green strawberries, baked and broken gravel turf, and various elusive organic transparencies, which I hope to taste in a drink. Green olive? MOUTH: racy and dry, upholstered thickly on …

Serious Rosé (Crouch End Cellars) : Enjoyed this thanks to some particularly detailed info from a tasting companion - a field blend of 10 varieties, grown on the NW of Etna so falling outside the DOC. All varieties harvested and vinified simultaneously, grown at 1300m elevation - one of the highest in Europe. Biodynamic, indigenous yeast. A very dark red - looks like a saignee wine. Notes of raspberry and nectarine with a charming sense of rusticity and a sweet …

Posh rosés - 2024 selection (Crouch End Cellars) : A high-altitude field blend of ten varieties, not all of them dark-skinned. Pretty oxidative on the nose, with an (attractive) scent of 'old wine' and a hint of something vanilla-sweet; I'm not sure if this cuvee always smells that way, or if it's a result of this bottle being seven years old. Lovely texture on the palate, with bright acidity and plenty of twisted peachy fruit. An attractive, grown-up wine. 12%

So you thought you knew about Rosé? (Crouch End Cellars) : Rosé? I'm learning a lot this evening! This has a fortified nose more than a little reminiscent of an aged Madeira. Very peculiar! Attractively sharp on the palate, full, the oxidative nature seems to fall away to be replaced by a musty fruitiness. This is most definitely not a quaffer, and actually not my thing at all, but again it is high-interest wine. But one that you would not …

Opens with a big whiff of dried fruit, almost like Marsala. That gives way quickly to more subtle notes of vanilla and apple spice cake, but with plenty of strawberry and peach to keep it fresh. On a prior vintage, a reviewer had commented it reminded them of cheesecake. Second that for sure. Has this beautiful and unexpected tang. Acidity is zingy, fresh. As the wine warms in your mouth, gives off more tropical notes, a hint of kiwi and …

still at the top of my rose list. sweet strawberry tang like a sweet tart, now with a taste of cream. refreshing cold and deep as it warms to temp.