In the second LEH test carried out jointly with Vinum, industry expert Ludwig Wengenmayr, Vinum author Rudolf Knoll and Wein-Plus chief taster Marcus Hofschuster put rosé wines and Prosecco under the microscope. Expectations were not particularly high after the bad experiences with white wines from the supermarket that the tasters had at the tasting earlier this year. There was not much to recommend this time either, but at least among the rosés there were some pleasant exceptions.
Unfortunately, the same can hardly be said of the Proseccos tasted. Anyone who has ever drunk really good Prosecco with its pure, animating fruit and characteristic apple scent can only wonder about the success of the predominantly dull, thin, unclean works of art that can be found on supermarket shelves. Hardly any of the wines tasted were at least remotely reminiscent of the qualities of the variety. Quite obviously, the worst possible raw material was used for most of the specimens. A frightening situation.
This is what the scores mean:
50-59 points: poor, with severe to most severe faults.
60-69 points: insufficient, unclean to faulty
70-74 points: passable/sufficient, but with clear weaknesses
75-79 points: fair to good, free of errors, clean
80-84 points: very good, harmonious and typical
85-89 points: excellent, very typical, with depth and character
Germany:
The difficult 2006 vintage did not make it easy for the German producers. Since most rosés are wines to be drunk young, there is unfortunately little point in still buying 2005s. In fact, they shouldn't be on the shelves anymore either.
Austria:
As with the white wines, the Krems winegrowers also show themselves to be reliable with the rosé.
Italy:
Here, too, the 2005s are usually too old. Among the current wines, we at least find a good Sicilian and a quite usable Bardolino.
France:
We already know this from the white wines: where Rothschild is on the label, there is by no means always good quality in it.
Spain:
The picture in Spain is also very mixed. But with the Rasgon de Maria we also found the best rosé of the sample. It brings a certain drinking pleasure.
Portugal:
Mateus Rosé is one of the best-known wines of this genre. We did not enjoy it.
South Africa:
The South Africans are each already half a year older than their European counterparts. You can see that in the wines. Even the 2006s seem old - not to mention the impurities.
USA:
The white wines were disappointing at the beginning of the year, we can usually do better with the rosés. Even the 2005 is still okay. We tried two different fillings of the 2006 version of the Shiraz, which also tasted clearly different.
Australia:
Peter Lehmann is actually known for its reliable qualities. The rosé, however, disappoints.
Chile:
Decent wines come from Torres in Chile. Even the 2005 is still drinkable.
Italy - Prosecco Frizzante:
Le Contesse alone is at least halfway passable, if not good. The rest is not worth even the cheapest price.
Italy - Prosecco Spumante:
We hoped to find better examples of the Spumante than the Frizzante - and were bitterly disappointed. Even the DOC is no guarantee for good quality.
Germany - sparkling wines:
The German sparkling wines do not really have anything to do with Prosecco, even if the name part "secco" on the labels is deliberately meant to establish a connection. You often find a mix of varieties here, with aromatic varieties such as Müller-Thurgau, Bacchus or Scheurebe often making up the bulk. The qualities also vary from very simple to very good. Of the selection tasted, however, only the version from the Juliusspital proved to be recommendable. It was always better than all supermarket Prosecco.