Taltarni Cuvee Rosé 2013: refreshment at its finest

The Taltarni Cuvee Rosé 2013 is perfect for sipping on hot summer days. It’s refreshing, balanced and bright with great flavours of vibrant red berries and toasty, nutty notes. This cool climate Sparkling wine offers something different, and I found it all too easy to polish off! 

I don’t know if it is just me coming back from Autumn in Japan to Summer in Brisbane, but it is really heating up here! I feel like it’s going to be a really hot summer. And you know what that means? We are all going to need some seriously refreshing wines to get us through this heat! Luckily I have one such wine this week for you all.

If you’ve been reading for a while you’ll know I am a sucker for a Prosecco, but when a wine like this comes along, I get blown away! I’m not usually one to branch out to Australian Sparkling Wine, but this wine made me think I really need to branch out. There are some fantastic wines that are being produced right here on our shores, and the Taltarni Cuvee Rosé 2013 may just be one of my new favourite summer drinks!

The Taltarni Cuvee Rosé 2013 is perfect for a pre-dinner drink

I first discovered Taltarni at the Good Food and Wine Show, and we’ve enjoyed a few of their wines over the past few years. But I’ve never tried their Sparkling Rosé before, and so I was so excited to give this one a go! As Friday night rolled around, it seemed like it would be only right to pop it open and enjoy it before dinner!

Taltarni has been producing wines since 1977 and is located in the Pyrenees, but they do source grapes from other locations to ensure they are producing the best wines. Their wines focus on combining old-world traditions with new-world techniques to produce their range of red, white and sparkling wines.

They have a great range of Sparkling Wines (I have four to try over the next few weeks so watch this space) which are produced using the méthode-traditionnelle i.e. the same method as Champagne. They use cool-climate grapes in their Sparkling wines and for the  Taltarni Cuvee Rosé 2013, they’ve sourced grapes from Tasmania, Adelaide Hills and the Pyrenees.

Why I loved it

The first thing I loved about the Taltarni Cuvee Rosé 2013 was the colour. Some sparkling Rosé comes out of the bottle bright pink, but this was more of a pale salmon colour. It was absolutely beautiful, and reminded me of the Provence Rosé I’m so fond of!

On the nose, this wine has really tasty toast and nutty notes with a hint of florals. These toasty notes are a product of the method of winemaking, and I found they really balanced out the flavours in the wine. When I took a sip I got a hit of vibrant red berries. Think strawberries along with a slight toastiness. The red berries gave a great acidity which really balanced out the creaminess of the wine, making for a really pleasant sip.

So why did I love this wine? I find sometimes Sparkling Rosé can be a little heavy in its flavours but this wine was so light,  delicious and easy-drinking.  It was balanced whilst still complex, fruity and vibrant but still creamy. It also made the wine super refreshing without being too dry. If you’re after something different from your Sparkling Rosé, or something nice for your pre-Christmas celebrations, this wine is going to be your friend!

What to enjoy it with

I enjoyed the Taltarni Cuvee Rosé 2013 without food. It really doesn’t need it and will mean you can really enjoy the wine. If you are hot and bothered after a summer day, this wine will be the perfect remedy. Just sit back and relax with a glass in hand!

If you do want to pair it with something, the great news is that because it isn’t sweet, Sparkling Rosé is very versatile. A good cheese platter with brie and goats cheese would go well, but so would a creamy risotto. You could also pair it with a summer BBQ or something fresh like smoked salmon.

The final word on the Taltarni Cuvee Rosé 2013

The Taltarni Cuvee Rosé 2013 is a great option for summer sipping. Although it is great before dinner or even for a nice day drink, it also lends itself so well to enjoying with a meal. In Summer, don’t we all need something this refreshing to sip on whenever we need to cool down?

I loved the flavours in this wine. The bright red berry flavours balanced out by the creaminess of the nutty and toasty flavours made for an easy-drinking and super refreshing drop. It wasn’t sweet, but not too dry either. If you’re looking for some new options for your Sparkling line up this Summer, definitely check this one out! You can do so by clicking the link below:

Taltarni Cuvée Rosé

Note: I was sent this wine by Taltarni but was under no obligation to review it