When we think about drinking rosé, our mind picture usually involves summer, sun and eating outdoors.
Nothing wrong with that but, as we slowly descend into autumn and winter, must that inevitably mean the end of the rosé season?
I have four good reasons why I think it may not.
- Rosé works well with several foods we eat all year round – charcuterie, chicken and some oriental dishes.
- Its range of styles is expanding, with dry but more robust rosés emerging that are closer to what we drink in winter.
- It can add something light, fresh and delightfully different to, say, Christmas and other holiday drinking – especially, but not exclusively, as sparkling wine.
- When you need something delicate, crisp and fruity with modest alcohol, it does not have to be white wine. Rosé shares those characteristics too.
So, I have picked out three examples that are great during what’s left of summer but will also impress all year round.
Coincidentally, none are from Provence but some of that region’s rosés also provide good all-year-round drinking.
The images and hyperlinks provided should help you to find the wines in crowded displays.
Gateway Selection
2023 Wine Atlas Monastrell Rosado (£6.50 at Asda and 12.5% abv):
Before I talk about this good, introductory, wine without spending much money, it’s time for a little mea culpa.
When I first encountered this wine, I was not particularly impressed – and said so here.
A number of people (including the importer) gently suggested I was being over-critical, so I went back to assess it again – and they were correct, I was wrong!
Get the temperature right (and, to me, it works best narrowly above fridge temperature) and the full flavour range does shine through brightly.
Thick and dark skins, powerful flavours and robust tannin all make monastrell a challenging grape for rosé production, but they have been overcome here.
Dark pink with floral aromas, the wine delivers ripe peach, crab apple and strawberry cream chocolates flavours.
These are supported by a gentle edge of sweetness and touches of orange blossom and geranium but it rides out on a finish powered by those peach elements.
Sweet Spot Choice.
2023 Ramon Bilbao Rosé (Shown at £9.75 on the Co-op website but believed to be £8.65 in many stores – and 12.5%):
A few steps up the price ladder comes this rosé from a brilliant Rioja producer who, here, adds about 15% viura to its garnacha foundation.
It gets my nod as a “Sweet Spot” wine because of the way – as the criteria for the accolade demand – it combines above average quality with terrific value for money.
Temperature is important for this one, too, but the producer helpfully adds a “postmark” to the label that only emerges when the temperature is just right.
Light with a long finish, its centre-piece is an array of carefully balanced grapefruit, orange and raspberry flavours.
Supplementary components include good lime acidity and traces of tobacco, nuttiness, red cherry and red currant.
And another Sweet Spot Option.
2023 Domaine Guillaman Rosé (£9.95 at Vino Gusto at Bury St Edmunds or their online service and 12.5%):
For a French contribution to this debate, I go not to Provence or even to the rapidly developing rosés of Languedoc but, instead, to South West France.
This is a delicate and great value version from Côtes de Gascogne that uses cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah to create a fragrant and fresh rosé.
Opening with delightful apricot aromas, that curtain raiser is followed up nicely by ripe red currant, raspberry and watermelon flavours.
That foundation is embellished by sharp citrus acidity and contrasting traces of sweetness.
What Other MidWeekers suggest.
MidWeeker Paul recommends Famille Perrin Arc du Soleil Rosé Camargue, while Rebecca praises rosé with bubbles in Graham Beck Rosé Brut. For Richard, he rates four rosé options from Aldi, led by Mimo Moutinho Alentejo DOC Rose. Meanwhile Eddie has a full half dozen suggestions which include Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Fronton Negrette – a wine easy to walk past, but well worth popping in the trolley. Fuller details of prices etc for all these suggestions appear in the Comments section below.
No post next Thursday but, before that, this coming Monday’s post contains the usual terrific recommendations in my regular Top Tips feature.
11 responses
May I make another suggestion?
That is Famille Perrin Arc du Soleil Rosé Camargue.
A smooth, well made ,crisp cranberry,strawberry and orange zest rosé in an elegant bottle.Featured in Saturday Kitchen,matched with turkey tacos.
£10 in Asda and Sainsbury’s,£9.50 in Morrisons.
Those prices are a bit toppy,but has been at £8 in Asda and £7.50 on buy six deal elsewhere.At those prices I would recommend it as a sweet spot contender.
Not much that family do not do well. I will add it to the main post
Hi Brian, I agree that rosé works well as a year-round drink and that it adds a a nice dimension to sparkling wine. A favourite of mine – Graham Beck Rosé Brut – is currently on offer at Waitrose, £12.99, down £4, which makes it a bit more affordable as a treat.
Good call Rebecca. I have added it to the (new) “What other MidWeekers suggest” part of the original post.
This is an absolute favourite in our house. Great suggestion Rebecca!
Just a heads up on the Co-op Irresistible Casablanca Pinot Noir that has been previously recommended and is now reduced from £9 to £6.75 until 24 th September for Co-op members.Somewhat of a bargain.
Subject matter today Brian, close to my heart … if I may …
Brought up on the inevitable work’s dinner-dance fayre of the 60s as Portuguese Mateus Rosé was back then, followed by the quite surprisingly excellent cheap-end Hirondelle Romanian sourced pink offering, when I first started to get to France regularly in the late 70s, there was typically a preferred 25cl lunchtime carafe of en vrac rosé available in most eateries!
But little did we think 45 years later that rosé styles in general would eventually draw almost neck and neck with white wine sales in that country and indeed exceed red sales there, all supermarket shelves becoming very well stocked accordingly. So when in France … Pretty good choice here now too of so many styles from so many countries even if my preference is mainly French.
That Asda Wine Atlas Monastrell had me too undecided (by comparison with the superb Carricante and Roditis whites in that range) but it won’t hurt to go back when next there is a 25% off buy 6 bottles running and put another-to-try in the shopping trolley, that can cost as little as £4.87!!
My current on-shelf stock at home is …
Arbousett Tavel 2021, Southern Rhône, Tesco
Cruset Vin de France, Landiros-Gironde, Sainsbury’s
Fronton Negrette, AOP 2021 Haute-Garonne, Sainsbury’s TTD
Prosecco Pink Sainsbury’s
Roches de Provence, Coteaux Varois en Provence, Sainsbury’s
Bowler and Brolly English Pinot Noir-Précoce Lyme Bay Aldi
So mainly French, Provence and South West, but I’ll try from most areas of France, except Anjou is generally too sweet for me. Had some decent Bergerac and Bordeaux for not a lot of money. Spain and Portugal too, but not so much from Italy.
The English Pinot Noir, Lyme Bay Winery from Aldi was a lovely revelation, but cost me £9.99 and has never been on the shelves up here at £5.99 as advertised, more’s the pity. There’s a Coteaux de Beziers Rosé I like at Aldi too that supposedly has money off now. In fact for variety Aldi is very good with their rosé.
Cheers for now …
Hi Brian, excellent article, thanks.
I recently had the opportunity to try 10 Aldi Rose wines, and was pretty impressed – all had low levels of residual sugar, and were good versatile wines of some character. Here are a few that I particularly liked.
These are “seasonal lines” available in September, except the Mourvèdre, which is from October.
Mimo Moutinho Alentejo DOC Rose 2023 12.5% £6.99
Specially Selected Rioja Rosado 2023 12.5% £7.49
Specially Selected French Mourvèdre Rose 2023 13% £8.99 (Available from October)
Unearthed French Caladoc Rose 2023 12.5% (Caladoc is a fairly recent cross of Malbec & Grenache)
PS Aldi again … yesterday. The Athlon Assyrtiko Syrah Rose that is usually 8.99 had a 50p reduction. Would have thought it should be rather decent. But online this offer is not listed!!
A reluctance to purchase because I was cross again about the website advertising the English rose at £5.99 but it wasn’t there and the ”other” label English rose … exactly the same wine from Lyme Bay Winery was over £10. Why can’t Aldi get its act together with its listings/offers and be more accurate. Irritated old bloke …
A good reminder of the versatility of rosé and some useful recommendations. Thanks Brian. I see Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Fronton Négrette rosé recommended by you and others gets another mention but it was the red Fronton wine in Sainsbury’s TtD Discovery Collection last year that quickly became my favourite. Sadly the Discovery Collection wines are never around for long so it was the prospect of seeking out a few more Fronton reds with their unique négrette grape that became a significant part of my 3 night trip to Toulouse this past week. (Fronton vineyards are little more than 20 miles north of this fascinating city). I have to say It was great fun tasting a few more Fronton reds and getting to know the characteristics of this ultra local grape variety. With a minimum 50% négrette typically blended with syrah, cabernet or malbec these are attractive easy drinking wines; low in tannin, fruity with distinct aromas of violets and liquorice. What a pity then that availability in the UK is so limited.
One that particularly stood out for me was Domaine Le Roc, Les Petits Cailloux 2020 which conveniently is currently listed at £10.95 with the Wine Society. (https://www.thewinesociety.com/product/fronton-les-petits-cailloux-domaine-le-roc-2020). But in France Fronton red is an inexpensive wine. I bought a couple of bottles of the identical wine in Toulouse for 8.90€ (approx. £7.50). Now I’m home I’ve found another source to undercut UK tax and duty – ‘Calais Vins’ where I can buy it for 8.95€ per bottle (https://www.wine-calais.co.uk/le-roc-domaine-fronton/21783-les-petits-cailloux-du-roc-red-fronton.html). I live in East Kent where Calais is nearer than London. Let’s hope there’s some good day trip offers on the Channel ferries this autumn!
Interesting how what “goes round, comes round”. Cross channel day trips could well be back in fashion. Breakfast on the ferry, lunch in France, a trip to pick up wine and home in time for (a slightly late) tea. Remember them? Good to see that the Calais Vins you mention, Keith, have a promotion with P&O to make that even easier.