Rosé, a wine for all seasons

Rose wine - made for British summer!

Remember Mateus rosé in those flattened rounded bottles?

It was the new kid on the block in the 70s introducing the British public to very average quality rosé.

As Blue Nun killed German wine in England so the legacy of Mateus took decades to shake the rosé hangover.

Today, rosé is back. Sales are up year on year.

Rosé reminds me of sunny days so when it makes a guest appearance (for those eight days a year) pop down to your local wine store and pick up a bottle and pour yourself a glass of sunshine.

So what is rosé?

It's the skin of the grape where the pigment (colour) is obtained. White wine typically comes from greener grapes.

Here's where is gets a bit fuzzy though because white wine can be made from red grapes. The trick is pressing the grape gently allowing the clear liquid to be extracted without any of the skin colour extraction. The most famous example of this is in Champagne, which is made of three grapes: Chardonnay (white), Pinot Meunier (red grape) and Pinot Noir (red grape) with the result being a white wine.

So it's the contact with the skins in the pressing that makes the wine colour. Rose is simply a process where the skins are allowed to spend a short time in contact with the juice thus giving you the 'rose' colour.

This is why rosé is such a diverse wine type. It can be made from any red grape (or blend) variety of which there are thousands.

My recommendation: if you like your rosé light and fresh look out for Provence. Cinsault is one of the main grape varieties. The rosés of this region are normally dry with zestiness derived from their acidity. With some offering a bubblegum characteristic. In my opinion these are best served with food such as crusty bread and aioli.

For the more full blooded types check out Spain's Navarra rosé. Wonderfully inexpensive, these are made with the Grenache grape which thrive in the hot continental climate of Spain's interior. The colour is far deeper with strawberry fruit on the nose and a higher flavour intensity. Whilst this is a drink that can be enjoyed on its own, try it with chorizo or sobrasada (Balaeric pork) spread on toast.

Whatever your taste give rosé a try again, it usually has far less snobbery attached and is good value, made for British summer.

Food & Wine by Paul Sheerin
Pshearse@gmail.com