…textural style

Čuvar is the vision of legendary wine entrepreneur, Sir George Fistonich. On Monday the 30th October here in Auckland, along with a number of renowned & respected wine industry professionals, I was invited to the launch of the Čuvar Winery. Sir George has founded this winery to help preserve and nurture the essence of New Zealand fine wine.
To honour this vision, the name Čuvar, (pronounced 'chu-var') which translates to 'guardian' in Croatian. Čuvar pays homage to the Croatian wine pioneers and many others, whom have played an important role in shaping the New Zealand wine story. Sir George spoke with great passion about how he wants to get back to the essence, quality of wine, the vineyards, terroir and the values of why wine is crafted - to be enjoyed with local, seasonal cuisine and shared with family and friends.
In the 1990’s I worked with Sir George & Michelle, so we have a shared history and understanding. With so many knowledgeable industry professionals working on this new journey, the future of these wines and of the soon to be renovated/restored Hawke's Bay winery is exciting. The fruit was sourced from the ‘Cornerstone’ vineyard on the Gimblett Gravels, a single vineyard that has incredible draining capacity, which was a most desirable strength during the cyclone that hit the region the month before harvest, as Cabernet Franc is a late ripening varietal.
All of the fruit was 100% hand-picked and on arrival into the winery whole bunch pressed into tank where it was slowly fermented and kept on primary lees for several months developing a dexterous textural nuance and then filtered and bottled.

★ In your glass you are greeted by a soft orange summer sunset with shimmering reflections, that tease you with a thoughtful aroma of watermelon, wild strawberries and a deft sage note. This engaging style of rosé has a lovely textural detail across the fleshy and appealing palate giving a stealth structure to this well-crafted rosé wine. These characters are all nicely balanced by natural fruit acidity giving definition and direction to this surprisingly sophisticated rosé with a smooth, clean dry finish.

This 2023 Čuvar ‘Cornerstone’ Cabernet Franc Rosé has 12.7% Alc./vol. Made in a classic dry style. Chill gently and serve in a light aromatic wine glass at 8°- 10°C. *NZ$33.99

CELLARING POTENTIAL: *(Article Posted 4/11/23)
Drinking perfectly this season; plus will hold nicely for another 12 - 18 months.

FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTIONS:
Perfect wine as an aperitif, plus ideal with shellfish like crayfish, seafood paella, bbq’d prawns, lightly seared tuna, cured salmon, seasoned salads or just simply with a chilled thick slice of watermelon - enjoy.