All weather off-dry rosé
An incredible amount of rosé drunk in the UK comes from the United States and is made from Zinfandel. Also known as Blush, this wine is really easy drinking and a great introduction to wine for many people, especially if you favour an off-dry style.
Pink fizz is always a favourite and a lot of sparkling rosé is being produced in North East Italy. One really fun rosé to drink is Lambrusco, which has come back into fashion again.
Odds on if you like Lambrusco you would love Moscato too – try some from Australia or California including Barefoot Pink Moscato, delicious paired with mildly spiced Mexican food.
Lighter styles of rosé
Provence in Southern France is the obvious place to go for classic pale pink, lighter styles of rosé. Very delicate and elegant, look to spend £10 or more on a good one like Mirabeau Classic Provence Rosé or the pale-pink salmon organic rosé Château Leoube – they are both top class!
How about revisiting the incredibly famous Mateus Rosé from Portugal? One of the original rosé it’s incredibly well-made and very distinguishable from its bright hue and round shaped bottle. While we are being nostalgic, look again at Rosé d’Anjou as I think it’s great value and has been a bit forgotten about in recent years. Pair with light pasta dishes and goats cheese salad.
English still rosé is definitely worth a punt too. In Kent Chapel Down make a light, very gentle fruity rosé.
However, if you like your rosé with a deeper colour and a bit fuller then head off to the New World and discover some styles from Argentina and South Africa. Barbecue foods including a rack of juicy ribs go really well with these fuller-bodied rosés.
Pink Fizz
Sparkling rosé is the perfect aperitif and delicious when served with traditional afternoon tea. If you are planning a tea party or celebration to mark a birthday or anniversary then you can’t go wrong with a bottle of pink fizz.
In the UK we produce some very good sparkling rosé, so look out for Nyetimber, Greyfriars Vineyard, Ridgeview and Coates & Seely in particular.
In Champagne there are hundreds of wonderful options including Moët & Chandon Rosé. Did you know there are two ways winemakers can get the rosé colour into the wine? One is by skin contact, the bleeding off of the colour from the red grapes. The second option is the addition of red wine into the blend. Champagne is the only place in the world where red wine can be added to make rosé.
Laurent-Perrier and Veuve Clicquot produce great rosé Champagne. Madame Clicquot was very instrumental in Champagne, talking over in her husband’s business when widowed at the age of 27, becoming known as the "Grande Dame of Champagne".
