It’s no surprise that Rosé has become one of Australia’s favourite festive tipples – our climate is made for sipping pink wine in the sun.

The rise and rise of Rosé continues in Australia and shows no signs of slowing, with the category growing by 15% during 2020-2022.

Miraval Country Manager Emilie Blanc said: “As Australia is in the Southern hemisphere, Christmas is quite a bit warmer than the regions within which our wines are produced, making it the perfect season to drink Rosé.

“Over the years, Australia’s consumption of Rosé is increasing across all age groups, and with barbeque and Rosé being the inseparable stars of summer, it makes sense for Rosé to be Australia’s favourite festive tipple.

“With families centering their Christmas day around obtaining and eating the freshest barbecue prawns, I will always recommend sticking to Rosé wines that ideally are dry and have a bit of structure and a refreshing acidity.

Miraval Cotes de Provence ($39.99) is a dry Rosé wine from Provence. It boasts a pale pink colour, delicate aromas of fresh fruits seasoned with a zest of lemon.

“Its ‘gourmet’ texture is perfectly balanced by the natural acidity providing a refreshing taste and making for a perfect complement to the smoky sweetness of BBQ prawns,” said Blanc.

Pitt isn’t the only celebrity nailing the Rosé game. Hampton Water is the result of a collaboration between Jon Bon Jovi, his son Jesse and leading French winemaker Gérard Bertrand, which came around as a result of the family spending summer holidays enjoying delicious French Rosé wine in the Hamptons.

Described as an elegant pale pink colour, Hampton Water ($34.99) is fresh and lively with distinctive minerality and a long-lasting finish, intensified by ageing in French oak barrels. Featuring intense aromas of red fruit, citrus and spices, it pairs well with light canapes, seafood, Mediterranean dishes and lightly grilled fish, vegetables or white meat.

After more pink inspiration for Christmas Day? Gerard Bertrand also produces his own Cote des Roses Rosé ($24.99), which has a palate full and fresh with a great balance of fruits and acidity. A great dry and light bodied style of rosé that can be enjoyed over Christmas lunch.

Earlier this year, Howard Park’s Miamup Rosé 2023 ($30) was awarded The Leslie Kemeny Memorial Perpetual Trophy for Best Rosé at the renowned Sydney Royal Wine Show.

“Rosé has become such a diverse and exciting category, so it’s an honour to have such a distinguished set of judges pick ours from what I imagine was an amazing selection of wines,” Howard Park chief winemaker Nic Bowen said.

If you enjoy a special bottle of Australian wine over summer, Australian Grape & Wine is urging you to show your support by posting a photo of what’s in your glass on social media using the #chooseaustralianwine hashtag.

The rise of pink bubbles

Rosé Champagne is also growing in popularity as a festive favourite for Christmas cork popping, after getting off to a slow start Down Under.

Champagne expert Tyson Stelzer noted in his The State of Play of Champagne in Australia 2018 report: “Even after steady rises over the past five years, Australia continues to lag far behind, consuming just one-third of the Champagne Rosé of other top markets, and ranking last besides Belgium among the top 10. For every 28 bottles of champagne popped in Australia, just one is pink.

“Rosé remains Australia’s most underperforming category, so watch this space for growth in the future – albeit moderated by price sensitivity. Champagne rosé is elegantly suited to Australia’s diverse cuisine and warm climate and deserves pride of place in every celebration.”

The Australian waxed lyrical about the appeal of pink bubbles last month: “Good rosé champagne carries a grossly misunderstood level of vinosity, and haunting aromas that are redolent of the great red Burgundies – all of which are grown and vinified not too far from Champagne. In fact, great rosé champagne has more in common with the Burgundian than it does with the Provençal – the association many make when they hear or see the word ‘rosé’.”

In addition to its still Rosé wines, Miraval also produces renowned Rosé Champagnes, with co-owner Brad Pitt noting: “For me, champagne conjures up feelings of celebration, quality, prestige and luxury. I wanted us to try to create the defining brand of rosé champagne, focusing all our efforts on just this one color. The result is spectacular and I’m very proud of it.” 

Tsarine Rosé Brut ($64.99) is another Champagne that will get the table talking at Christmas. The elegant champagne features notes of mirabelle plum and freshly picked grape blossoms, perfect for holiday gatherings.

According to Coles data, wine also reigns supreme as the most favoured choice among gift-givers, especially last-minute ones …

Paddington Lane Wine Co launches just in time for Christmas

Tapping into domestic consumption trends and launching just in time for perfect Rosé weather, Fourth Wave has introduced the new Paddington Lane Wine Co range.

The range features three distinct wines inspired by traditional European Rosés, such as dry French and more savoury Italian
styles, with grapes sourced from leading South Australian wine regions and crafted to reflect their unique origins – No. 1 Dry Rosé from the Fleurieu Peninsula, No. 2 Savoury Rosé from the Riverlands, and No. 3 Soft Rosé hailing from the Limestone Coast.

“We are thrilled to bring the Australian market a first for the category; a specialist Rosé brand. Each style in the range is meticulously crafted with an intended consumer in mind. With grapes sourced from prominent wine regions and
carefully selected in order to craft what we hope are the perfect styles that each variety can be, Paddington Lane Wine
Co. brings to life Australia’s capability of producing world-class Rosé styles and enabling consumers to choose more
easily. The result is an expressive, enjoyable range and a Rosé style to match every palate,” said Ross Marshall,
Managing Director of Fourth Wave Wine.

The brand name, Paddington Lane Wine Co, pays tribute to the lively streets of the trendy inner Sydney suburb of
Paddington, where heritage meets modern sophistication.