SHADES OF ROSÉ…

With summer finally poking its head out of the nesting box of weather that has been, to date, distinctly spring-like, rustling its new-found feathers and beginning to think about taking to the skies, I thought it apposite to start considering fine drinks to accompany this welcome change in meteorological profile. We have secured a number of simply stunning pink wines. I know, I know. One is most often tempted, rosé-wise, to plump for the cheapest option with the thought that, should it turn out to be execrable (as many cheap examples often are) one doesn’t feel too bad about watering the roses with it.

However, trade up and one can find wines of real interest. What are the prerequisites of good rosé? Well, that it is delicious and…and that’s probably about it.

Rosé comes in all shapes, shades and sizes, from the oeil de perdrix wines that one has to examine jolly closely to observe any hint of colour, to the clairette examples of Bordeaux that are as deep as many a red burgundy.

We have bought in the tastiest we have found, in a range of styles to cover any pink wine eventuality. And we’re offering a mixed case, so one’s taste buds needn’t become jaded by repetition. Here’s the SP:

Shades of Rosé Mixed Case - £109 case/12 inc VAT

Comprising:

4 bottles (75cl) 2006 Rosé Cuvée Prestige, Château de Chaberts, Côteaux Varois

This is a very pale salmon pink. Really good nose here; I even found some complexity. It's a touch spicy and nutty, with floral notes and red cherry and peach fruit. There's a herbal note, too. Great concentration, which belies its pale colour. A mixture of rich fruit and crisp acidity. Very, very long in the mouth, with a fabulous finish. Great stuff.

4 bottles (75cl) 2007 Rosé, Domaine  de Nizas, Côteaux de Languedoc

Very rosé colour: a pale cherry pink. This gives up a rich nose that's redolent of ripe fruits of peach and pomegranate, nut paste, a touch meaty. There's a good weight of fruit here. The flavours are cherry and there's a refeshing lick of citrus acidity. Very long. Excellent rosé of the sort that makes one want to reach for another glass.

4 bottles (75cl) 2006 Rosé, Casa Agricola Roboredo Madeira (organic), Portugal

Here we're almost getting into the realms of what in Bordeaux would be called a clairette, somwhere between a red and a white wine. The colour is an intense and rather beautiful cherry red. The nose reminds one of a plate of fresh summer berries, red and black, as do the flavours on the palate. This is big wine: a real fruit salad mouthful.

NB. These wines are also available to buy as whole cases from the Drinking Wines  page of the website.

Also worth mentioning are a bevy of red and white additions to our drinking list, as they are among the most impressive bottles we have ever seen at these prices, and a pink champagne:

2007 Sauvignon de Touraine, Domaine Guy Allion, Loire Valley, France  -  £84 case/12 inc VAT. (Available in 6 btl cases)

I am usually the first to malign the rather vapid qualities of Sauvignon Blanc, but finding an example like this has restored faith. So concentrated; so focussed and so utterly delicious, this kicks the kiwis into touch and gives you a big wad of change from the sum that you would spend on a Sancerre of lesser quality.

2005 Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi, Vigna delle Oche, San Lorenzo, Tuscany, Italy  - £120 case/12 inc VAT (Available in 6 btl cases)

I have never tasted a wine so fascinating at this price. A remarkably complex liquid giving up aromas and flavours of dried and fresh fruit. I have no hope whatsoever that we will ever match this for the money.

2006 Cinsault Les Servières, Domaine d’Aupilhac, Vin de Pays de l’Hérault, France - £102 case/12 inc VAT

We are smug. We resemble felines long on dairy product. This is, in short, an absolute doozie. (N.B. I never know how to spell this word; perhaps it should be duesi, as it has its origins in the Duesenberg, a make of American car that was considered the ne plus ultra of its time.) Old vine Cinsault like this is generous, but not overly sweet; complex, medium weight and delicious. It is perfect for food and can be consumed with enormous pleasure on its own. Ambrosial red.

2006 Val de Murta Tinto, Quinta da Murta, Estremadura, Portugal -  £96 case/12 inc VAT (Available in 6 btl cases)

This is a different animal altogether. There’s nothing refined about this wine, which is a brooding, grubbing about, earthy kind of red. It is black as night, fascinating and has everything New World reds offer, but is more interesting by far. One for charred hamster, possibly on a stick.

NV Cuvée Réserve Rosée, Champagne Philipponnat - £354 case/12 inc VAT (Available in 6 btl cases)

There are rich aromas of red fruit - plum and raspberry - alongside hints of coffee and chocolate to the delicious nose. There are slightly meaty, Pinot notes and a definite smell of crab-apples. Chocolate orange. The fizz is lively in the glass and very fine in the mouth, brushing the tongue with cashmere bubbles. The palate is rich and fresh at the same time. There are more mocha notes, as well as a profound minerality that becomes crumbly/chalky with aeration. Great length

To order these wines, please go to the Drinking Wines page