Soumah Ai Fiori Rosato d’Soumah 2022 (Yarra Valley)

Winter was half a degree warmer than the 25-year average, so although vines were still dormant, bud burst was a few days earlier than average. Spring saw 100mm more rain than normal, and unsettled weather around Melbourne Cup saw a poor flowering and fruit set. This significantly lowered the crop by reducing bunches and making the remaining much smaller. Summer was significantly hotter, one degree more than the 25-year average, although high rainfall in January meant no excessive heat spikes. Overall, a wetter and hotter year with low yield resulted in a small but high-quality crop.

Ai Fiori meaning ‘amongst the flowers’ in Italian is Soumah's way of describing the personality of this wine. Red grapes, in this case Marzemino and Cabernet Sauvignon, are left in contact with skins for a short period before fermentation in barrels with wild yeast.