Tonic Rose 2019

Tonic Wines is a small batch project that was started by two friends with similarly nerdy wine habits. Glenn is an experienced winemaker with genuinely practical skills…actually quite a lot of them. Dan’s background was in wine drinking, talking and educating and after a stint as a wine-stained cellar hand he found he knew ‘righty-tighty, lefty loosy’ but that was about it. Glenn took over full ownership and running of Tonic in 2019. 

The name Tonic is a playful nod to the apothecaries, spice merchants, botanists and dark arts healers of yesteryear. And when we say yesteryear we mean waaay yester. It was in 1624 that King James I of England, recognizing the unique skill of apothecaries, granted them their own corporation thereby distinguishing them from merchants of bulk, or gross, goods like spices and herbs. This latter group became the Worshipful Company of Grocers (from ‘gros’).

Always looking for more savoury interest and a less obvious fruit forward expression of rose is the focus with Tonic Rose. This year, as with the Grenache, they have sourced some fruit from McLaren Vale for the blend. The varieties haven't changed but once again the blend proportions have: 70% Grenache from both McLaren Vale and The Clare Valley have been blended with 30% Mataro from the Clare Valley. The grapes were crushed and immediately basket pressed, giving the juice sufficient time in contact with the red grape skins for it to pick up that burnished salmon colour. The juice went into old French barriques, where it fermented wild and in its own time. Benign neglect then took over until it was racked off lees and bottled with a small amount SO2, but without fining or filtration, in May 2020. This edition spent a few months longer in barrel than previous years. It is bone dry yet supple and just so damn drinkable. A little more depth of fruit but with a trademark savoury element and textural interest. Flavours of pomegranate and dried cherry and refreshing acidity, with heaps of texture and flavour.

The Finer Details
Style - Rose
Varietal - Grenache, Mataro
Country - Australia
Region - South Australia
Vintage - 2019
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 12.9%