La vie en rosé

Alice King recommends 10 of the best ways to drink pink

There was a time when rosé conjured up an image of the kind of warm, medium-sweet pink wine epitomised by Mateus Rosé in its distinctive dumpy-shaped bottle. I’m happy to announce that those days are well and truly over. Today, wine-makers around the world are just as proud of their rosés as they are of their reds and whites.

Rosés vary massively in colour, from almost-white with just a tinge of pink to salmon-pink and dark rosé, almost red. The exact colour depends on how long the colour-giving skins of black grapes (exactly the same grapes as those used to make red wine) are left in contact with the juice after pressing. The longer the contact, the darker the colour.

Because of the colour, many people believe that rosés do not go with food. The opposite is true; most rosés taste excellent with barbecued and spicy dishes. I’ve noticed recently that many of the best Thai, Indian and Chinese restaurants have started putting rosés on their wine lists as they complement ethnic dishes so well.

    In the pink
    If it’s a while since you treated your taste buds to a good rosé, now is the time to try one. Here are 10 of the best I have recently tasted:
  • Château Meaume Rosé 2000, Bordeaux, £5.49, Majestic. Made by Englishman Alan Johnson-Hill, this wine consists predominantly of Merlot grapes. It’s quite a deep shade of pink, and has an enticing aroma and flavour of violets – great with lamb.
  • Mount Hurdle Rosé, £5.99, Oddbins. Made by larger-than-life Australian, Geoff Merrill, this big wine takes after its producer. Deep red-rosé in colour, it has a moreish aroma of soft ripe red fruit and, while dry, a hint of ripe grape sweetness on the palate. Excellent on its own or with steak and tuna.

  • Rosé Vin de Pays de l’Hérault, 2000 Domaine Virginie, £2.99, Marks & Spencers. This brilliant, value-for-money rosé is salmon-pink in colour and makes for a great aperitif, as well as tasting good with tangy summer salads. Strangely enough, it also goes well with goats’ cheese.
  • Nagyrede Cabernet Sauvignon 1999, £3.49, Waitrose. Really unusual Hungarian rosé with orangey-pink hues. The aroma is reminiscent of strawberry jam. The perfect foil for Peking duck with plum sauce.
  • Hardy’s Stamp of Australia Grenache/Shiraz Rosé 2000, £4.79, Waitrose. This smells and tastes like raspberries with a hint of cinnamon. It’s pinky-red in colour and tastes great with garlic prawns, grilled scallops and lobster.
  • Somerfield Portuguese Rosé, £2.99. Medium-coloured, medium-dry rosé with a hint of perfumed sweetness on the finish. Tastes excellent with korma curries and stir-fries with black bean sauce.
  • Tesco Rosé del Umbria, £3.49. Pale pink, this dry Italian rosé tastes delicious with creamy pasta dishes.
  • Van Loveren Blanc de Noir 2000, £3.99, Safeway. Pinky-purple in colour, this South African rosé is medium-dry with full-bodied fruit. Try it with fruit-based puddings or any meat with a fruit-flavoured sauce.
  • Domaine de Sours Rosé 2000, £5.49 Sainsbury’s. One of the best, most complex and stylish rosés around, this wine is made in Bordeaux by Englishman Esme Johnson. Medium-pink in colour, it has masses of mouth-watering red-berry-like fruit. Try it with roast beef, lamb or pork.
  • Big Frank’s Deep Pink 2000 Merlot Rosé, £3.99, Sainsbury’s. As the name suggests, this is really deep-red pink in colour, with mind-blowingly explosive fruit on both its aroma and flavour. It is the perfect complement to barbecued ribs and spicy Toulouse sausages.