Calabria Bélena Rosé comes from Calabria Family Wines, drawing fruit from NSW/South Australia. “True Partnership” appears on the label, and there is a family story behind it. The name Bélena pays respect to the second generation, Bill and Lena Calabria, combining “Bill” and “Lena”. It celebrates their partnership in guiding the family through difficult periods and building a future for the generations that followed.
The family originally came from Italy and the business is now into its fourth generation. It began in 1945 with Francesco and Elisabetta, who courageously journeyed across the world to forge a new future for their family.
That Italian heritage might also explain the terrific bottle. Its unusually decorative shape feels rather more Italian than Australian, and it is good enough to keep afterwards as a decorative water bottle. Both the bottle and the labels look considerably more premium than the price might suggest.
The grape blend varies from year to year to ensure the wine remains true to its distinctive style. The varieties most frequently used include Italian grapes such as Aglianico, Dolcetto, Negroamaro and Montepulciano. Shiraz is also incorporated into the blend to soften the initial taste and add balance.
This is the 2025 vintage, at 11.5% abv. In the glass it is a pale salmon colour, reminiscent of a Provence Rosé. Spicy and citrusy aromas lead into a dry, deep, citrus-led flavour, with grapefruit and another touch of gingery spice. There is more intensity here than you would normally expect of a Rosé, with medium body and length.
There is lots of flavour for the money. An excellent wine, as long as you are not expecting a ubiquitous Provence-style rosé. It is £15.00 at Asda, although I suspect it will rarely sell at that price. It is currently part of a very attractive three-for-£20 promotion.
