Rosé and summer go hand in hand – many of us associate pink wine with relaxation and cooling off on a hot day.
Though made in a similar way to red wine (by fermenting grapes with their skins, which add colour, tannin and an extra hit of flavour), rosé retains the freshness of white wine by limiting the skin contact during production.
Although it was once thought a ‘lesser’ wine than red and white, it has soared in popularity over the past few years and pairs well with a lot of summery dishes, from fresh salads to barbecued meats, making it in many ways the ideal drink for the warmer months.
Click through our gallery below to see 10 of our favourite rosés (starting from just £4.79) to enjoy during the last hurrah of summer: the bank holiday weekend.
Les Dauphins Cote de Rhone
Pair with: light starter dishes
This rosé is sweeter than its colour implies – usually the more intense the pink, the sweeter the wine, but with its strawberry and summer fruit notes, it’s a strong enough flavour to be enjoyed with or without food.
£5.50, asda.com
Chateau Miraval
Pair with: tapas and cured meats
Also known as ‘Brad and Ange’s rosé’ – the chateau is owned by the Hollywood pair, but it’s no cheap cash-in plonk, as Provence is known as the one of the best rosé regions in the world. This organic bottle is perfectly balanced between fruity and dry.
£19.50, harveynichols.com
Coteaux Varios
Pair with: summer salads
This rosé is an ideal balance to settle the ‘red or white’ debate at a dinner party. With aromatic flavours of strawberry and white flowers, it adds rich flavour, but is also refreshing when drunk cool.
£8.50, marksandspencer.com
Les Esquerades Lirac
Pair with: rich foods with garlic, spice or herbs
For those who truly like the taste of rosé, this is the wine for you. With full flavours of fruits such as raspberry and redcurrant, it also has an acidic structure that enables it to stand up to a range of food dishes.
£10, marksandspencer.com
Muga Rosado
Pair with: seafood
This Rioja rosé – known as Rosado in Spanish – is ideal for those who don’t like sweetness in their rosés, with drier notes and hints of tangy red apples.
£9.99, waitrosecellar.com
Palastri Pinot Grigio Blush
Pair with: pasta and pizza dishes
‘Blush’ wines are how many people were introduced to rosé – the familiar fresh crisp taste from the popular Pinot Grigiot, with hints of peach sweetness coming from the grape skins.
£5, sainsburys.co.uk
Williams Chase rose
Pair with: grilled vegetables
With an up-and-coming wine industry, the UK isn’t shy of producing a decent rosé or two either. This wine is made in the Provence style, with subtle peach and grapefruit notes coming through.
£16, harveynichols.com
Ramon Bilbao Rosado
Pair with: grilled fish
A light-pink rosé, this is reminiscent of white wines with its lighter lemon and watermelon notes, but has a juicy finish of red fruit flavours to remind you that it’s not just another white wine.
£9.48, sandhamswine.co.uk
Hey Malbec
Pair with: grilled meats
You can tell from the cool label that this is a slightly edgy number. Malbec is usually used to make rich strong red wines, and in this form it’s true to standard with plum, redcurrant and cherry notes.
£11.99, majestic.co.uk
El Guia Rosado
Pair with: nothing and enjoy a great aperitif
This is what you might call a find: a quality wine under £5 at Waitrose. But although the low price and bright pink colour might put a lot of people off, it is sweet in all the right ways, with strawberry notes and a light finish.
£4.79, waitrosecellar.com
undefined
By signing up you agree to occasionally receive offers and promotions from Stylist. Newsletters may contain online ads and content funded by carefully selected partners. Don’t worry, we’ll never share or sell your data. You can opt-out at any time. For more information read Stylist’s Privacy Policy
Thank you!
You’re now subscribed to all our newsletters. You can manage your subscriptions at any time from an email or from a MyStylist account.