Bellarine Estate First Blush Rosé 2022

You gotta love a serious rosé. One that immediately entices in soft, delicious pink hues. One that brings more than simple red berry fruits to the glass but broadens its scope melding earth, cherry and acacia aromas with spice, honeysuckle and light floral aromatics. First Blush is such a rosé, a blend of Merlot, Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Viognier, that combines both complexity and the kind of summery deliciousness we all expect from a youthful rosé. Has a persistent, smooth flow of red cherry, spice, red apple flavour across the palate enlivened by pockets of spice and fruit tingle/musk confection notes. A solid wine by any reckoning with real flavour impact and presence. It’s also versatile, to be enjoyed with food or not.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic