Uwe Schiefer Purbach Blaufränkisch Rosé 2016 (12 Bottles) Welgersdorf, Austria

Schiefer’s Rosé is drawn from Blaufränkisch rooted in the Muschelkalk (mussel chalk or shell limestone) of Leithaberg. Starting its initial fermentation as whole bunches, it’s really an orange-rosé hybrid; a bone-dry, phenolic, food-loving style that Schiefer has been working to perfect since the late 1990s.

The juice is pressed off after three days infusion to continue its fermentation and élevage in large, old oak barrels.

If you’re expecting a provençal-style, easy-going rosé, you won’t find it here. This beauty is both bone dry and engagingly textured, with superb grip and racy acidity balancing out the wine’s delicious, mouth-filling notes of red fruits, hops and complex lees characters.