Iole Rabasco Rosato Cancelli Rose Wine 750ml (11.5%)

100% Montepulciano from Abruzzo, Italy

Cherry • Pomegranate • Crunchy tannin • Wildly savoury

This is rosé that plays by its own rules. A deep, unfiltered Montepulciano rosato from the hills of Abruzzo – more ruby-red than pink in the glass, with juicy cherry and pomegranate on the nose and a savoury, grippy finish that keeps things refreshingly vibrant.

This is a natural wine that still manages to feel precise: bright fruit, crunchy tannins, and a touch of earthiness that makes it moreish and utterly food-friendly. It’s about as far from a pale, poolside rosé as you can get – and all the better for it.

Iole Rabasco’s vineyards lie in the Cancelli district near Pianella, just inland from the Adriatic coast. Her vines, all over 40 years old, have never seen pesticides or herbicides – a truly hands-off approach from soil to bottle. Fermentation is spontaneous with native yeasts, and the wine is raised in stainless steel before bottling without sulphur.