Delinquente 'Pretty Boy' Nero d’Avola Rosato 2023 (750 ml)

100% Nero d’Avola

Region: Riverland

Vineyard: Bassham Family Organic Vineyard, Barmera

Harvest: March 2023

Bottling Date: June 2023

Release Date: August 2023

Alcohol: 11%

Wild fermented in stainless steel, Nero d’Avola is a native Sicilian variety that is perfect suited to the hot, dry climate of the Riverland. An incredibly versatile variety, while many know Nero d’Avola for the big bold reds of Sicily, with its sour cherry and naturally high acidity, we feel it is the perfect variety for Rose. 

After crushing, the fruit was left to soak on skins for 6 hours, giving the wine it’s the lovely blush pink colour. The nose charges at you with candied strawberry, rose petal, and that ubiquitous but undeniable strawberries and cream aroma that just keeps going and going. On the palate, a certain elegance – these fruit forward flavours persist, while the classic Nero d’Avola acidity comes in to keep things fresh and crunchy; evolving the flavours into a slightly underripe stonefruit spectrum – white peach or nectarine.

Vintage 2023 was the coldest, wettest and trickiest years we’ve faced. Endless rain on the east coast over the last few years came to roost with the Murray River flooding to the second highest levels in recorded history in the Riverland. Persistent rain through Spring and early summer meant not only was harvest delayed by several weeks as fruit ripened slowly, but disease pressures were high with winemaker and grape grower nerves being put to the test. Luckily a healthy vineyard and some warm sunshine in early autumn helped the fruit develop nicely, producing a suite of pretty, more subtle wines this year.

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Delinquente makes small batch, minimal intervention wines from Southern Italian grape varieties grown in the Riverland, South Australia.

We were born and raised in the Riverland, surrounded by vineyards and the mighty Murray River. Delinquente is our attempt at making the best wine we can from the place we grew up. Organically grown, minimal intervention, honest, hand-made wines that not only are great fun to drink, but represent the sun, the red dirt and uniquely Australian terroir of the Riverland.

The Riverland can be very hot and very dry, particularly through the vines growing season. For that reason, we’ve chosen to work with Southern Italian grape varieties – varieties that are suited to the climate, need less water and are naturally drought resistant, are late ripening and retain natural acidity. In this way, they are more environmentally sustainable, and allow us to make wines with lower alcohol levels but heaps of freshness and flavour.

Delinquente is “delinquent” in Italian, which speaks to our desire to always buck the trend, break rules and do things our way. To that end, all of the incredible artwork for Delinquente, from the labels, to cartons, tees and even gifs, are created by our good friend Jason Koen, AKA “Ankles”. Delinquente is his passion project, evident in the intensity of his hand drawn labels which pop from across the room, and the deeply important and personal themes that they speak of.

Sometimes you’ve got to heed the call of the wild child within.

Sometimes you’ve got to go home with a bunch of grapes who’re ugly as sin.

Tech Sheet