top of page
Search

Around the world in rosé: 16 rosés from four continents in every shade and shape


Alphonse Mellot Le Paradis Sancerre Rosé 2017, France

Ravishing Pinot Noir rosé from one of Sancerre's great wine families. Long, slow fermention in oak tanks with wild yeasts producing elegant and sustained flavour and texture.

£18.99, Waitrose

Domaine Provenquière Pinot Gris Rosé 2017, Pays d'Oc, France

Gris meaning the grapes were tinged pink when ripe, hence the colour of the wine: a very pretty pale salmon. Peach and floral aromas with a squeeze of pink grapefruit. Spicy, peachy flavours on the palate with a rounder, fuller feel than you might expect and a crisp, grapefruit finish. Unusual and very appealing.

£10, The Daily Drinker

Kayra Beyaz Kalecik Karasi Rosé, Denizli, Aegean, Turkey 2017

Made from the Kalecik Karasi grape in Denizli by Californian Daniel O'Donnell, a champion of Anatolia's historic indigenous varieties at the Kayra winery for more than ten years. It's pale, elegant and light in alcohol but not light in intensity, expression or refreshing acidity. Lovely orange zest, wild strawberry and herbal fragrance and flavour.

£12.42–£15.50, Great Wines Direct, Strictly Wine, Novel Wines, Harperwells, Wine Poole, GP Brands, Hannibal Brown

Babylonstoren Mourvèdre Rosé 2018

Yes, this year's vintage and 100% Mourvèdre, from Bablyonstoren, a 740-ha Cape Dutch farm dating from 1692. The prettiest of colours, with spice, rose petals, sweet orange and cream on the nose and a soft, fresh, coffee and vanilla-edged, orangey palate. A crowd pleaser.

£16, Babylonstoren Online Shop

Porcupine Ridge Rosé 2017, Western Cape, South Africa

Delicately spicy, fruity, off-dry rosé from Marc Kent of Boekenhoutskloof, the maker of the much admired red, The Chocolate Block. This uses some of the grapes (Syrah, Cinsault) that make it into that wine. Very good value.

£7.99, Waitrose

Pietradolce Etna Rosato 2017, Etna, Sicily

Made from the high quality Nerello Mascalese variety grown 600m up on the stony, northern slopes of Mount Etna. A pale apricot coloured delight with spicy, floral, apricot aromas and a spicy, textured palate with wild strawberry and apricot flavours, orange peel acidity and a spicy, salty, mineral finish. Try it with octopus, tomato pasta, veal or lamb meatballs or caponata.

£16.50, Armit

Domaine de Mourchon Loubié Rosé 2017, Séguret Côtes du Rhône Villages, France

Wine of the Week here in July and one of three top scorer's out of nearly 100 French rosés in a recent Decanter magazine blind tasting for which I was one of the three tasters. Mouthwatering cherry, spice, strawberry, red apple, cranberry and rosemary flavours.

£10.95–£13.99, The Wine Society, Exel Wines, The Black Dog Wine Co, Averys

Gaia Wines 4-6h Agiorgitiko Rosé 2017, Peloponnese, Greece

The Agiorgitiko grapes, grown within the Nemea region, were chilled, crushed and left for between four and six hours (hence the name) to draw colour, aroma and flavour from the skins before pressing and fermentation. Result: vibrant colour, mouthwatering juicy cherry and crisp blackcurrant-leaf flavours.

£12.49–£13.09, Corking Wines, Strictly Wine, Great Wines Direct

Alovini Le Rallo Basilicata Rosato 2017, Basilicata, Italy

Another recent Wine of the Week. Deep pink-red, generously proportioned, characterful southern Italian with flavours of strawberries and cream, tangy cherry and pomegranate.

£8.95, The Wine Society

Haywire Gamay Rosé Okanagan Valley, BC, Canada

Made by the self-confessed Gamay (and concrete) nuts at Okanagan Crush Pad, one of Canada's most exciting wineries, using Gamay grapes from their organic Secrest Mountain Vineyard. Copper pink, with cherry fragrance and flavour, redcurrant freshness and the refined smoothness that concrete can give to texture (30% aged in concrete for 5–6 months).

£27, Red Squirrel Wine

Culmina R&D Rosé 2017, Golden Mile Bench, Okanagan Valley, BC, Canada

An ultra pale, elegant Malbec/Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon blend. Spice, citrus and summer red berry flavours – elegant but with the intensity to take on spicy prawns and Provençal salads.

NA UK; $19, store.culmina.ca; $19.99, BC Liquor Stores

Gaia Wines 14-18h Agiorgitiko Rosé 2017, Peloponnese, Greece

As with Gaia's 4-6h rosé above, the grapes were chilled, crushed and left to macerate before pressing and fermentation, but in this case for between 14 and 18 hours; hence the even more vivid colour and juicy, bright cherry and citrus fruit and leafy, herby freshness. Excellent food wine.

NA UK; available in the US: see wine-searcher


4 Chateau D'Esclans rosés

Peerless Provence

Cave d'Esclans Whispering Angel 2017, Cotes de Provence

£16.65–£22.95, widely stocked, including Hennings, Exel Wines, Slurp, Divine Fine Wines, Hedonism, Waitrose and Majestic

Château d'Esclans Rock Angel 2017, Cotes de Provence

£23.50,–£30.50, Divine Fine Wines, House of Townend, Hedonism

Château d'Esclans Les Clans 2016, Cotes de Provence

No single-bottle retailer yet, but £720 for 12 in bond, BI Wine

Château d'Esclans Garrus 2016, Cotes de Provence

No single-bottle retailer yet, but £380 per jeroboam (3l), Millesima

I'm a great admirer of the wines from Sacha Lichine's d'Esclans estate in Côtes de Provence (technically Whispering Angel is not an estate wine because the grapes are partly sourced from outside – hence the name Cave d'Esclans, not Château). I've been following them more or less since the beginning and each year each one seems to take another step forward. Tasting the 2016 Garrus, I could see myself mistaking it for a great white Burgundy in a blind tasting (a genuinely blind tasting where I couldn't see the colour), although I've noticed that as it matures it can take on some of the character of red Burgundy. For full tasting notes see my Peerless Provence blog. In the meantime, I just emphasise how delicious, polished and ground-breaking these wines are.

Photographs by Joanna Simon

bottom of page