Colours of the South Rosso 2020

The team behind Purple Hands, Mark Slade and Craig Stansborough, have shown themselves over the years to be adept at making a wide range of wine styles, from the old vine gems of Planta Circa through to their earlier drinking wines crafted from alternate varieties under the Colours of the South label. The Rosso is made from a unique mix of Montepulciano, Aglianico and Negroamaro, and is an Italianate bistro red in the range, although still displaying typical Barossan richness and power. The colour is deep and from the first sniff the wine shows itself to be a juicy, early drinking style of some distinction thanks to its wide array of fleshy fruits – primarily mulberry and blackberry with a dusting of herbs and spice. There is an attractive rusticity to this wine as well which is more pronounced on a chunky palate thanks to grainy, firm tannins. There is plenty to like here and no doubt it’s probably best matched up with slow-cooked meat dishes such as lamb shanks.