Rosé sparkling wines are produced around the globe with many sparkling producing wineries having at least one to choose from via their collection of labels. We will also see the eagerly awaited Rosé Prosecco soon to hit the market in 2021 so the global audience of pink fizz will certainly grow as will sales.

So, what about a dedicated annual tasting and awards for rosé sparkling wines? We are very pleased to have organised this at Glass of Bubbly by way of the ‘50 Shades of Rosé Sparkling Wine Awards‘. 2020 was the first ever event and we invited a selection of our close wine professional friends to our new location by the seafront to sit with us and explore the aromas and flavours of our entries. This first year we had exactly 50 labels involved so it was a fun day of tasting and sharing our notes and scores to find the best three and who would take the title of winning the ’50 Shades of Rosé’ award.

Judging Panel of ’50 Shades of Rosé’ 2020

Our judges were:

Christopher Walkey

Sanjeev Gupta

Karen Krizanovich

Tim Haslam

Paul Laurie

Rupa Datta

(Serving and tasting): Oliver Walkey

The wines entered along with a selection of tasting notes were:

The Winning Wines of 50 Shades of Rosé 2020

50 Shades of Rosé 2020 Winner: Fox & Fox Mosaic Rosé 2015 Brut – England

“Good acidity. All flavours mixed from typical English country garden from red currents to nettles. A delight of elegance in the palate yet classy enough to offer a creamy finish.” Christopher Walkey

2nd Place: Graham Beck Brut Rosé – South Africa

“Light pink colouring. Candy sweets in style with summer strawberries on the nose. Flavours are a delightful mixture of strawberries and cream with a long finish.” Paul Laurie

3rd Place: Champagne de Watère Brut Rosé – France

“Vibrant mousse. Strawberries and raspberries in aromas and flavours. Very elegant and creamy. Very well balanced.” Tim Haslam

1 Vinska Klet Frelih Rosé Brut Nature – Slovenia

“Light strawberry, rose petals. Yeasty, soft acidity.” – Tim Haslam

2 Vinska Klet Frelih Rosé Brut – Slovenia

“Creamy raspberry initially then a medium acidity style with red berry fruits / freeze dried raspberry.” – Christopher Walkey

3 Radgonske Gorice Selection Rosé Brut – Slovenia

“Aromas of red fruits, yeasty, aluminium and good acidity.” – Sanjeev Gupta

4 Vinarstvo Rebula Rosé 2013 – Slovenia

“Blackberry nose. Soft fruity flavours.” – Karen Krizanovich

5 Vina Stoka Prima Rosé – Slovenia

“Light creamy red fruits on the nose. Dry flavours, red fruits / red candy sweets.” – Christopher Walkey

6 Vina Kobal Penina Rosé – Slovenia

“Vibrant colour – salmon pink. Fruity style and clean.” – Rupa Datta

7 Vin.Co Abruzzo Rosé Brut – Italy

“Nice warm rosé colouring. Darker red berry fruit flavours. Easy to drink. Clean wine.” – Christopher Walkey

8 Hic et Nunc Mete Brut Rosé – Italy

“Clear and pale colour. Light fruits, mostly red on the nose. Red grapes expressed in flavours with a long chalk finish.” – Paul Laurie

Studying the aromas – Tim Haslam

9 Venturini Baldini Cadelvento – Italy

“Very nice red fruits on the nose. Light and elegant on the palate.” – Tim Haslam

10 Foss Marai Roos – Italy

“Pleasing fresh red fruits on the nose with a touch of watermelon. Wild strawberry flavours with a good dry fruit length.” – Christopher Walkey

11 Codice Citra Primae Lucis Rosé Brut – Italy

“Impressed. Brioche, creamy style – most elegant and silky.” – Tim Haslam

12 Giusti Rosé – Italy

“Dry style with a medium length finish. Light fruits in flavours with a vibrant mousse on the palate.” – Paul Laurie

13 B.Brut Rosé Tradition – Luxembourg

“Very deep in rosé colouring. Big in style, vibrant and red currant on the nose – Mid palate length with notable hints of Turkish Delight.” – Tim Haslam

14 Weinviertler Sekt Jeunesse Rosé – Austria

“Bruised cooking apples, yeast, pastry on the nose. Dry red berry fruits, sweet green fruits in flavours. Easy to drink, ideally as an aperitif – Best served well chilled.” – Christopher Walkey

15 Schlumberger Rosé Brut Klassik – Austria

“Apricot on the nose. Mineral style with a touch of red fruits in flavours.” – Karen Krizanovich

16 Stengel My Rosé – German

“Nettles, sweeter red fruits in flavours.” – Sanjeev Gupta

17 Motzenbacker Rosé – German

“Orange peel and clear colour. Good mousse in the palate. Dry style and a higher alcohol taste sensation.” – Paul Laurie

18 Vilarnau Rosé Brut Reserva – Spain

“Subtle red fruits on the nose. A punchy red fruit flavour with a softer freeze-dried raspberry finish.” – Christopher Walkey

19 Fitz Pink – England

“Deep pink colouring. Raspberry and strawberry on the nose. Medium acidity. Very nice flavours, mousse vibrant though quick to reduce. Fruity on the palate.” – Tim Haslam

Karen Krizanovich enjoying tasting rosé

20 Bolney Estate Cuvée Rosé Brut – England

“Fresh fruitiness with minerals.” – Karen Krizanovich

21 Fox & Fox Mosaic Rosé 2015 Brut – England

“Good acidity. All flavours mixed from typical English country garden from red currents to nettles. A delight of elegance in the palate yet classy enough to offer a creamy finish.” – Christopher Walkey

22 Fox & Fox Expression 2013 – England

“Creamy aromas. Higher acidity in flavours. Fresh. Red fruits.” – Sanjeev Gupta

23 Fox & Fox Midnight 2011 – England

“Very deep rosé colour, almost cherry in appearance. Sour cherry on the palate with a very nice balance.” – Tim Haslam

24 Celene Saphir Rosé Cremant de Bordeaux – France

“Lively aromas, busy mousse. Fruity flavours with a dry/bitter close.” – Rupa Datta

25 Fleurs de Prairie Brut Rosé – France

“Savoury / creamy nose. Pink fruit flavours, lighter expression of red berry fruits with a touch of pink rose petals. Silky smooth in character.” – Christopher Walkey

26 Champagne Jean Plener Fils Brut Rosé – France

“Lively mousse. Darker salmon pink colouring. Crisp red fruits on the nose. Fresh red fruit flavours, dry. A good traditional method sparkling wine with small bubbles.” – Paul Laurie

27 Champagne Vollereaux Rosé de Saignée Brut – France

“I can easily drink a bottle of this!” – Rupa Datta

Smelling and Tasting

28 Champagne Moutardier Rosé – France

“Dark salmon pink colour. Medium mousse. Toasty, brioche with red fruity flavours. Certainly feels like an aged rosé traditional method.” – Paul Laurie

29 Champagne Albert Beerens Éternel Rosé – France

“Deep red fruity flavours. Certainly a Champagne with a young and fresh character. A saignée or very well made rosé with a magical skin contact balance. This house knows its grapes very well!” – Christopher Walkey

30 Champagne de Watere Brut Rosé – France

“Fresh berry fruits, Very well balanced.” – Karen Krizanovich

31 Altemura Rosamaro – Italy

“Very pale pink. Light flavoured, elegant with fresh red apple / pink floral flavours.” – Tim Haslam

32 Zonin Rosato Brut – Italy

“Chalk, creamy mushroom, raspberry on the nose. A dusty pink fruity and floral tasting experience.” – Christopher Walkey

33 Ferrari Perlé Rosé Trentodoc 2014 – Italy

“Pink / orange colouring. Light mousse expression. Red berries on the nose giving a fine traditional method expression. Orange peel, red berries and herbaceous in flavours.” – Paul Laurie

34 Martinčič Penina Rosé – Slovenia

“Cherry, prunes and red fruit in flavours.” – Sanjeev Gupta

35 Kozinc Joker Zara – Slovenia

“Creamy notes. Elegant freshness and light.” – Tim Haslam

36 Stemberger Penina Rosé – Slovenia

“Strawberry vanilla ice cream in style – Very nice!” – Oliver Walkey

37 Vina Povh Rosé Prestige – Slovenia

“Fresh, fruity and sweet in style.” – Karen Krizanovich

A Wine Tasting team at work

38 Vinska Klet Mastnak Valentina Rosé – Slovenia

“Silky on the nose and a relaxed clear and clean style of flavour with softer red fruits including raspberry, red apple skin and watermelon.” – Christopher Walkey

39 Silveri Cuvée Brut Rosé – Slovenia

“Very pale pink. Fresh apple / red fruits on the nose. Very light and fresh, light palate, easy drinking and well balanced.” – Tim Haslam

40 Zlati Gric Penina Brut Rosé – Slovenia

“Fresh aromas with subtle hints of pink grapefruit. Fresh fruits in flavours with a mineral / wet stone edge.” – Christopher Walkey

41 Le Lude Brut Rosé – South Africa

“Very floral and peach in character.” – Sanjeev Gupta

42 Graham Beck Brut Rosé – South Africa

“Light pink colouring. Candy sweets in style with summer strawberries on the nose. Flavours are a delightful mixture of strawberries and cream with a long finish.” – Paul Laurie

43 Ycaabba Grand Rosé 2015 – Russia

“Soft peach, red fruits in flavours. Mid length. Dry finish giving a tight palate suggesting tannin.” – Christopher Walkey

44 Colucci’s Rosé (Extra Dry) – Italy

“Hints of maple syrup / barley sugar in aromas and flavours. Red fruits. Some Residual sugars.” – Tim Haslam

45 Reiterer Rosé Extra Dry – Austria

“Caramel, red apples, cassis on the nose. Deeper orange/red colour. Drier red fruit flavours with a mineral / dried raspberry close.” – Christopher Walkey

46 Badagoni Rosé (Medium Sweet) – Georgia

“Big in style, savoury, mushroom. Old vines and aged?” – Paul Laurie

47 Glubbel Sparkling Mulled Wine – Spain

“Nose gives red sherbet and cola cubes. Sweet in flavours with Tizer / Iron Bru style and a lighter mousse. Amber colouring.” – Sanjeev Gupta

48 Abbesse de Loire Cremant de Loire Rosé (Dry) – France

“Medium pink colouring. Light strawberries / raspberries on the nose. Very elegant palate.” – Tim Haslam

49 Zorz Rosé Penina (Demi-Sec) – Slovenia

“Pink fruits, sour cherry, soft spices on the nose. Hints of iron / tin, dry red fruits in flavours.” – Christopher Walkey

50 Castello del Poggio Piemonte Brachetto (Doux) from Zonin – Italy

“A silky style of a sweeter rosé sparkling wine. A deeper / darker shade of rosé, touching on red. Aromas are very tempting giving over ripe strawberries, freshly picked raspberry and cream. Flavours are sweet though very well balanced with good red fruit acidity. A smooth length touching on an ending of strawberries and cream.” – Christopher Walkey

Dunavox are the fastest growing wine cooler company in the world and are distributed throughout more than 40 countries worldwide.

We are offering you the opportunity to win one of our most popular units, the 300mm undercounter wine cooler: dunavox.com

This unit holds 19 Bordeaux bottles and can be used as a freestanding or built in unit if you have any available space.  We are offering a 3 year warranty with this special prize and has a RRP of £750.

To Enter:

Follow @elitefridges and @glassofbubbly on Twitter, then tweet us ‘I’d like to win a Dunavox Wine Cooler’

or

[contact-form-7 id=”31632″ title=”competitions-form_copy”]

If you have any questions regarding the unit or installation, please contact Elite Wine Refrigeration directly:  www.elitefridges.co.uk

Terms & Conditions: There is no cash alternative and the prize is non-transferable. Usual competition rules apply. Winner will be chosen at random from all qualifying entries. Closing date is 1st January 2019. Entry is open to residents of the UK only, except employees (and their families) of Elite Wine Refrigeration, its printers and agents, the suppliers of the prizes and any other companies associated with the competitions. Postage is to UK mainland only. Entrant(s) must be aged 18 or over. In the event of a prize being unavailable, the promoter reserves the right to offer an alternative prize of equal or greater value. The winner agrees to the use of their name, photograph and disclosure of county of residence and will co-operate with any other reasonable requests by Elite Wine Refrigeration relating to any post-winning publicity. The promoter will contact you once the competition has ended to arrange delivery of the wine cabinet. The Promoter is Elite Wine Refrigeration, 65 The Rock, Helsby, WA69AS. 

To Enter:

Champagne Taittinger and Villa Maria are getting ready to add sparkle & glitz to this year’s Virgin TV British Academy Television Awards on 13th May, which pays tribute to excellence in television.

As keen supporters of the arts, Champagne Taittinger and Villa Maria wines from New Zealand are the proud official Champagne and Wine Partners to BAFTA. They are delighted to offer you the chance to win an exclusive BAFTA-labelled bottle of Champagne Taittinger Brut Réserve NV and the Villa Maria Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc 2017 and Villa Maria Private Bin Pinot Noir 2016 – the same wines that guests will be enjoying during the awards ceremony.

Taittinger is the only leading Champagne house to remain owned and actively managed by the family named on the label. Taittinger is widely available. www.taittinger.com. @TaittingerUK

For the fourth year in a row, Villa Maria has been named one of the most admired wine brands in the world. Their Private Bin Sauvignon Blanc is also the No.1 selling Sauvignon Blanc in the UK. Villa Maria wines are widely available in all good retailers. Visit www.villamaria.co.nz @VillaMaria_UK

Terms & Conditions: There is no cash alternative and the prize is non-transferable. Usual competition rules apply. Winner will be chosen at random from all qualifying entries. Closing date is 9th May 2018. The mask is not included in the prize:  Entrants must be 18 or over and must provide a mainland UK address and telephone number for delivery. Visit www.bafta.org for more information.

To Enter:

Simply Visit Glass of Bubbly on Facebook, like us and then comment on the Win Low-Cal Prosecco competition pinned to the top of the page!

Cirotto Prosecco can be purchased from Just Perfect Wines

UK Entrants only. Competition closes Feb 18th 2017. Over 18 entrants only please!

[contact-form-7 id=”33217″ title=”Competitions Form Low Cal Prosecco”]

As keen supporters of the arts, Champagne Taittinger are the proud official Champagne Partner to BAFTA. Taittinger and are delighted to offer you the chance to sip like a film star and win a special BAFTA-labelled bottle of Taittinger Brut Réserve NV, as served to the guests at the Awards.

To Enter:

Follow @glassofbubbly and @TaittingerUK on Twitter, then tweet us ‘I’d like to win a bottle of #BAFTA Taittinger #Champagne’

or

[contact-form-7 id=”33150″ title=”Competitions Form Bafta Taittinger”]

Adding extra glitz to the awards for the 15th year running, Taittinger is the only leading Champagne house to remain owned and actively managed by the family named on the label. Taittinger is widely available. www.taittinger.com.

Terms & Conditions: There is no cash alternative and the prize is non-transferable. Usual competition rules apply. Winner will be chosen at random from all qualifying entries. Closing date is 5th February 2017. The prize is one bottle of Taittinger Champagne only, the mask is not included in the prize:  Entrants must be 18 or over and must provide a mainland UK address and telephone number for delivery. Visit www.bafta.org for more information.

Menor was a horse who worked in the vineyard. He was raised by Pierre-Jacques, the Cellar Master. He transported the grape during the harvests and maintained the ground of the vineyards. He was the mascot of the house and all the employees loved him. He had a long and happy work life and after his death on 8th August 1928, Pierre-Jacques decided to create a cuvée so that Menor remained part of the Champagne house.

champagne-menor.com

Follow @glassofbubbly and @Champagne_Menor on Twitter, then tweet us ‘I’d like to win 6 Bottles of Champagne #Menor88’

OR

[contact-form-7 id=”33022″ title=”Competitions Form Menor 88″]

Terms & Conditions: There is no cash alternative and the prize is non-transferable. Usual competition rules apply. Winner will be chosen at random from all qualifying entries. Closing date is 28th February 2017. Prize will only be posted to a UK address.

.

To Enter

Follow @glassofbubbly and @VirginBalloons on Twitter, then tweet us ‘I’d like to win a #VirginBalloon flight’

or

[contact-form-7 id=”33018″ title=”Competitions Form Virgin Balloons”]

What’s Included:
Sunrise Gift Package for Two includes two National Weekday Morning flight Vouchers and a Virgin Balloon Flights helium balloon in a box (the perfect way to present these tickets to the sky to someone special).
www.virginballoonflights.co.uk/product/sunrise-gift-package-for-two-weekam

Terms and conditions:
Competition open to UK residents aged 18 and over. Virgin Balloon Flights flying season runs from March – October with some regional variations. Hot air ballooning is a weather dependant activity. Prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative applies. Passengers must be aged 7 or above and at least 4ft 6 inches tall. Not suitable for women who are pregnant or those who have recently undergone major surgery. Supplement fee for passengers weighing 18 stone or more. Competition closes 28th February 2017. For full terms and conditions please visit: http://www.virginballoonflights.co.uk/legal-stuff/

www.elitefridges.co.uk

To Enter:

Follow @elitefridges and @glassofbubbly on Twitter, then tweet us ‘I’d like to win a Climadiff Wine Cooler’

or

[contact-form-7 id=”32893″ title=”Competitions Form wine cooler”]

Terms & Conditions: There is no cash alternative and the prize is non-transferable. Usual competition rules apply. Winner will be chosen at random from all qualifying entries. Closing date is 31st January 2017. Entry is open to residents of the UK except employees (and their families) of Elite Wine Refrigeration, its printers and agents, the suppliers of the prizes and any other companies associated with the competitions. Postage is to UK mainland only. Entrant(s) must be aged 18 or over. In the event of a prize being unavailable, the promoter reserves the right to offer an alternative prize of equal or greater value. The winner agrees to the use of their name, photograph and disclosure of county of residence and will co-operate with any other reasonable requests by Elite Wine Refrigeration relating to any post-winning publicity. The Promoter is Elite Wine Refrigeration, Unit 26 Essex Way, Bourne, PE10 9NH. 

To Enter:

Follow @KingslandDrinks and @glassofbubbly on Twitter, then tweet us ‘I’d like to win 6 Bottles of Luxury Prosecco’

or

[contact-form-7 id=”32601″ title=”Competitions Form Borgo Prosecco”]

Terms & Conditions: There is no cash alternative and the prize is non-transferable. Usual competition rules apply. Winner will be chosen at random from all qualifying entries. Closing date is 18th December 2016. Prize will only be posted to a UK address.