UK Edition
Five brilliant rosé wines that you might not have heard of
It’s holiday season – so here are five brilliant rosés that you might not have heard of. Hold on to your hats, only one of them is from Provence.
Digby Fine English Leander Pink Brut NV England (Marks & Spencer, £30)
Yes, English sparkling rosé is a thing. You’ve probably heard of Nyetimber, Hambledon and Hattingley, all of whom make excellent fizzy pinks – but do you know this one, which is made from pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier grown in vineyards across the south of England, and which has just picked up a gold at the recent UK Wine Awards? A very pretty pink, with a slight tang of sushi ginger.
Birichino Vin Gris Rosé 2016 California, USA (Berry Bros & Rudd, £18)
A thrillingly textured, but also bone-dry rosé that’s made from a blend of mourvèdre, grenache noir, cinsault and vermentino. It contains more mourvèdre than originally planned, thanks to an August heatwave, which meant that the grapes from a parcel of very old vines weren’t going to be suitable for turning into a stand-alone red. Mourvèdre is of course the grape that brings a feral savour to the red wines of Bandol, and you can feel its might and muscle in here.
Domaine Pieretti Rosé 2016 Coteaux de Cap Corse, Corsica (Yapp, £17.25)
The French island of Corsica is closer to the Tuscan coast than it is to the Côte d’Azur, but it makes wonderful pink wines – slightly fuller of flavour than most rosés from Provence, but still with a satisfying dryness and the glorious scent of dried herbs.
I love this one, which smells of wild berries and tinder-dry hillsides covered in Mediterranean scrub, and is made in tiny quantities from niellucio, grenache and alicante. No one has a better range of rosés than Yapp; I urge you to explore their pink wines, and especially those from Corsica (yes, there are more).
Clos Sainte Magdeleine Rosé 2016 Cassis, Provence, France (Yapp, £21.25)
The fishing town of Cassis lies between Marseille and Bandol on France’s Mediterranean coast. It lends its name to a below-the-radar appellation within Provence that makes brilliant, subtle whites as well as rosés like this – precise, graceful and elegant. The grapes are grenache, cinsault and mourvèdre. Yapp suggest drinking it with dressed crab, which would make a beautiful summery feast.
Roederer Quartet Rosé NV Anderson Valley, USA (winetrust100.co.uk, £28)
This sparkling rosé comes from the Californian outpost of champagne, Louis Roederer. Made from the champagne grapes chardonnay and pinot noir, it is generous and easy-drinking, with a rich taste of brioche and caramelised strawberries. Stylish and fun.