WINE CELLAR
TURNING FULL CIRCLE
The enigmatic Rose Kentish has added a new selection of spirited botanicals to her repertoire.
WORDS TONY HARPER I FIRST MET ROSE KENTISH sometime in the early 2000’s. At that time, she and her husband owned Ulithorne Wines – a brand based in McLaren Vale, but spreading its wings into the south of France and the island of Corsica. The Ulithorne wines were all terrific, but it was the Corsican Vermentinu that stopped me in my tracks. At a time when Australia was just beginning its journey with the variety (here called Vermentino … the Italian spelling) and turning out some beautifully crisp, crunchy, gently perfumed wines, Ulithorne’s Corsican version entered the fray with texture, power, layers of flavour. The difference was due as much to the philosophical gulf between Italian and Corsican winemaking as it was due to the youth of Australia’s plantings, a vast disparity in yield, and the maturity of the Corsican vines. Whatever … it was a magical wine. And it made me an instant fan of Rose Kentish (she also happens to be a wonderfully energetic, warm, gently passionate human being) and her Ulithorne brand. Then Ulithorne sold. Rose Kentish … the enigma. She’s a chameleon in so many ways, changing her colours to suit the surrounds. Ulithorne was handed over and Rose began two new ventures – Rose Kentish Wines (once
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again spanning McLaren Vale, Provence and Corsica; same leopard, different spots) and Sparkke with its range of beers, cider and alcoholic ginger beer. Sparkke was cofounded by Kari Allen, and – aside from being about females making waves in a largely male-dominated space – it was flavoured with social commentary. And I’ll quote Kari here; ‘Sparkke’s craft beer packaging throws a spotlight onto issues like sexual consent, climate change and Australia’s treatment of refugees.’ Nice. It also pushed the carbon-neutral barrow. This all happened in 2016 and things trotted along quite nicely … pub, brewery, wines both local and European. Then, four years later, along came Covid and its slamming of doors in both a travel sense and a hospitality sense. No more Provence Rose or Corsican Vermentinu. No more brew-pub entertaining people within its walls. I think the pandemic, especially in hospitality, sorted the thinkers from the plodders. Some restaurants began take-out and home delivery so their kitchens and staff remained utilised. Clever. Some simply quit. Rose and Kari had the dual problems of a pub not entertaining and a brewery losing a large part of its market.
They weren’t alone and here I’ll quote Rose; ‘When Sparkke’s operations flagged during the early months of COVID-19, I refused to follow the example of breweries around the world. ‘Instead of pouring beer down the drain, I began a small distilling pilot. ‘At the company’s most challenging moment I was determined to conjure something innovative and delicious. ‘Using my small copper still, I made an Amaro from Sparkke’s Cider. ‘Out of the Hard Lemonade, I pulled a Lemon Flower Gin. ‘With Sparkke’s all-natural Pale Ale, I leaned heavily on my maker’s instinct to meet a much greater challenge.’ There’s the chameleon again. Which brings me to the gist of this story … Full Circle Spirits. In a country awash with locally made gins (some great, some so-so, some dreadful) these are beacons. They have purity of spirit (not like a nun. More like a mountain stream, but spiritous) and a palette of flavours and aromas that unifies the range in its precision and detailed, subtle, thoughtful use of the botanical additions. Some Aussie gins can be truly bombastic. Others just one-dimensional. These are multi-faceted, but – like really good perfume – balanced and thought-provoking.
