Handpicked Wines have collaborated with Australian fashion house Romance Was Born, to create a limited edition Yarra Valley rosé.
The bottle’s label was created by designers Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales, inspired by Romance Was Born’s latest collection, Electric Orchid, and features art by dual Archibald-winning artist Del Kathryn Barton.
“Handpicked Wines shares Romance Was Born’s philosophy of quality curation, creative pairings, and at the core, a playful freedom. We are proud to contribute a special label we designed with dear friend Del Kathryn Barton, and to leave the wine-making up to the experts,” say Plunkett and Sales.
The rosé, made in an unconventional style, is quickly becoming a signature wine in the Handpicked core range — scoring 95 points for the previous 2016 vintage in Wine Companion. The rosé is part of Handpicked Wines Spring Summer Collection 2018, an eclectic line up featuring lighter style wines perfect for summer.
The Spring Summer collection also features the first vintage of single vineyard Chardonnay from Handpicked’s newest vineyard in the Yarra Valley, as well as a Fiano from Handpicked’s new ‘Trial Batch’ series, an experimental collection only available on tap and in bottle through the Handpicked Cellar Door.
These wines allow Handpicked’s Director of Winemaking Peter Dillon to play with different winemaking techniques and extend beyond the Handpicked concept of classic varieties in classic regions.
“This is our most exciting release yet, showcasing a variety of wines we believe are perfect for every summer occasion. There’s everything from site-specific single vineyard wines to experimental releases under the new ‘Trial Batch’ series — and of course, plenty of savoury, textural Rosé,” says Dillon.
The Handpicked Spring Summer 2018 collection includes the below highlights:
2017 Handpicked x Romance Was Born Yarra Valley Rosé $28.99
An unusual marriage of Pinot Noir juice and Marsanne skins gives this wine extra body, texture and phenolic depth. Limited edition 750ml and only 48 bottles of the 3L Rosé.
2016 Regional Selections Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir $28.99
Great value Pinot Noir with attractive floral notes, fresh berry fruit flavours and soft tannin. Matured for nine months in French oak. The fruit is sourced from the Handpicked Capella vineyard, and blended with a parcel from Red Hill.
2017 Trial Batch Fiano Murray Darling $28.99
First wine from the ‘Trial Batch’ series — available for cellar door release only with only several hundred cases produced. Aromas of white flowers and chamomile. The palate is medium-bodied and textured with an appealing waxy character and flavours of nectarine and spice.
2016 Capella Mornington Peninsula Pinot Noir $79.99
Fruit from select blocks at Capella Vineyard was handpicked, de-stemmed and sorted by hand to ensure only the nest berries went into this beautifully perfumed, supple and silky single vineyard wine.
2016 Collection Barossa Valley Grenache $69.99
From hand tended old bush vines at the Handpicked Watunga Road Vineyard, this wine is packed with juicy, ripe fruit and has a savoury edge with just the right amount of spice and soft tannin. This vineyard is hand pruned, hand harvested and follows biodynamic principles.
The new collection is available from the Handpicked Cellar Door and online.