Rosé can be the best of both worlds, a happy medium when you have both red and white drinkers, or you just fancy a cool glass on a warm summer’s day.
Depending on if you are red or white wine drinker you can get rosés that are light both on palate and colour to rosés that almost look red.
The grapes are crushed and then left on the skins from as little as 24 hours to a maximum of a week to impart colour, tannin and some tertiary flavours. Then the wine and is separated and bottled for your enjoyment.
I am a big fan of rosé, but over the years it has been a bit hit and miss. (And it can be difficult to find when it’s not summer since it also makes a great autumnal treat). So to help I have compiled a list of six very different but equally delicious rosés for you to enjoy this summer.
A darling little nose with floral notes, red blossom and touches of wild strawberry.
A balanced and somewhat delicate wine. Plenty of fruit, red currant, wild strawberry, touch of apple. It had a slight autumnal note, a wine I think would be perfect on a warm September afternoon sitting in the garden pondering life. A flicker of leather said this wine had more to offer. A beautiful wine for anytime, it transported me the moment I took a sip.
€15.99 (rosé buy one second half price) available from O’Briens Wines Nationwide
This wine has the nose of a gentle summer garden by an orchard. Roses, grapes and strawberries with a flicker of apple.
This wine is deliciously juicy, with grapes, touches of mandarin and some nice earthy tones. It’s a wine with great structure and elegance; a wine to make you think.
€13.45 Available from Le Caveau Kilkenny, Baggot Street Wines Dublin, Fallon & Byrne Dublin, World Wide Wines Waterford
Chiola – Cerasuolo D’Abruzzo 2014
I love the nose on this wine. As soon as I poured it I could smell lush cherries and elderflowers, as well as strawberries. It reminded me of walking through a forest on a beautiful summers evening.
On the palate it really came alive with some earthy tones mixing in with the wild strawberries, cherries, raspberries giving it an almost light autumnal taste – which doesn’t mean wait until September, but rather a rose with more depth, structure and juiciness. In my tasting notes I wrote, ‘a hug in a glass’; I think from that you can guess I really enjoyed it.
€13.99 available from Deveny’s Dundrum & Baggot Street Wines
Wagner-Stempel Rosé Rheinhessen 2014
On the nose this wine is quite delicate with touches of wilted roses, wild strawberries and red currants.
The nose follows beautifully onto the palate along with subtle touch of orange. It is a fresh and vibrant wine with fine minerality. An elegant wine to sip over a summer’s evening.
€18.95 Available from The Corkscrew Chatam St (& online), Wicklow Wine Co. Bray, Sweeney’s Glasnevein, Blackrock Cellar & 64 Wine Glastule.
Petit Bourgeois Pinot Noir Rosé 2014
This wine has a slightly perfumed nose with wild strawberries, damsons, lime leaf and floral notes. It’s got a fantastic fruity nose with lovely subtle minerality.
The palate is just juicy, and full for a rosé. It’s filled with summer berry fruits, lush with a light touch of tannin. When I tasted it I imagined sitting under the blossom tree in my parent’s garden. Bliss….
€15.49 (rosé buy one second half price) available from O’Briens Wines Nationwide
On the nose this wine is heaving with lush fruit, wild raspberries, plump cranberries, blackberries, strawberries and cranberries. It also has a delicate creaminess to it, with roses and a hint of blackberry leaf.
The nose follows beautifully with some restraint onto the palate. It’s clean and fresh, with damsons popping in to add to the darker elegance of the blackberries. The cherries, roses and red liquorice add nicely to give a big but restrained wine. It’s not heavy, more a medium body with a hint of tannin. Overall an interesting little number.
€13.99 available from Deveny’s Dundrum & Baggot Street Wines
Suzi is passionate about wine, beer and whiskey too, not forgetting a love of food and travel. She has been a part of this industry for a little over 10 years. She has worked on level 4 in WSET during this time and regularly hosts tastings and staff training in these sectors. She has recently started a blog on all wine, beer and spirit related beverages. You can follow her blog at https://www.thetaste.ie/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Febvre-Main-e1453804815474.pngsgrapecrush or follow Suzi on Twitter