From Aldi to Sarah Jessica Parker, the best rosés to toast the start of summer
Rosé is a no-brainer when the sun shines, though given its unpredictability here in Ireland, we should remember that rosé is not just for sunny days. Sure, many of the simpler ones are just that, delivering refreshing fruity fun but little besides. But like any other wine style, when well made, rosé can be complex and nuanced — and brilliantly gastronomic, as with today's wine of the week.
Pale, bone-dry Provençal rosé has ruled since Whispering Angel became a global phenomenon thanks to serious winemaking and inspired marketing. The shelves are awash with examples of the style: Minuty M (€25), with its limited-edition artist-collab labels, and Miraval (€33), with its celebrity-owned aura (Brad Pitt, if you're asking), elevate solid winemaking with a halo of glamour.
Speaking of celebrity rosés, SuperValu has several on promotion, including two frizzantes from Graham Norton and Kylie. Sarah Jane Parker's 'Invivo x SJP' Vin de France rosé is well-balanced (€14 from €18) and SuperValu's Coteaux de Béziers is decent (see below) — as is one from Aldi (€8.99), with its strawberry shortbread notes. Aldi's Sainte Victoire Provence Rosé (€12.99) is bone dry, while Lidl's Chotard Rosé d'Anjou (€9.99) is fresh but with some sweetness on the finish.
O'Briens annual rosé promotion sees Whispering Angel down to €19.46 from €25.95 (or €27 elsewhere), alongside new additions like the pale, zesty, candied Les Magnolias Languedoc Rosé (€12.71 from €16.95) and old favourites like the wonderfully brisk Rós Rosé (€9.95 from €16.95) made by O'Briens wine director Lynne Coyle.
I've featured rosé from the Iberian peninsula today too, including two from north Spain's coastlines. From Portugal, one of my favourite pét-nat sparklers, which uses the 'methode ancestrale' of bottling partially fermented wine to finish fermentation in the bottle (as opposed to traditional-method sparkling wines such as Champagne, which undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle).
Staying with bubbles, SuperValu's Maurice Bonnamy Crémant de Loire AOP Brut Rosé (€15 from €20) brings biscuity notes to Cabernet Franc fruit. Or try the delicious 3B Sparkling Rosé NV (€27, independents) from winemaker Filipa Pato working with Baga and Bical grapes in Portugal's Bairrada region for a classy traditional-method alternative to rosé champagne, with nutty, yeasty nuance and dried hibiscus character.
Wines of the week
Clos de l'Ours L'Accent Rosé 2024, Côtes de Provence, France, 13.5pc, €30
If you want to understand how rosé can be a serious and gastronomic wine, this pale, dry, textured Provençal beauty is a great place to start. Produced at a family-run, biodynamic certified estate from a hand-harvested blend of its five main grapes — Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan — it is juicy and charming with abundant summer fruit, yet complex too with savoury appeal, subtle spice and impressive length. A versatile pairing for a broad array of dishes. BaRossa Wines, Brindle, Green Man Wines, Pinto Wines, DrinkStore; drinkstore.ie
Ameztoi, Txacoli de Getaria Rosado Rubentis, Basque Country, 12pc, €19.95
A super-fresh, bone-dry, pale coral pink txacoli (beloved of pintxos bars) from a seventh-generation winemaker near Getaria fishing village, with a brisk and briny Atlantic character overlaying notes of rose petal, strawberry and redcurrant leaf. L'Atitude 51 (Cork), Fíon Eile, Lennox Street Grocer, Lilith, Martins, 64 Wine, theallotment.ie, boxofwine.ie, lecaveau.ie
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Le Bijou de Sophie Valrose 2023, Coteaux de Béziers IGP, France, 12.5pc, €10
This crowd-pleasing barbecue juice will neither break the bank nor scare the horses. An easy-drinking blend of Cinsault, Grenache, Caladoc and Syrah with sustainability accreditation, its aromatic summer pudding fruits and dry finish pair well with prawns, salmon, chicken, lamb and veggie grills. SuperValu
Alta Alella GX Rosé, DO Alella, Catalunya, Spain, 12.5pc, €22.95
Produced at the Pujols-Busquets family winery, this certified organic blend of Garnatxa Negra and Garnatxa Peluda layers aromas of fresh fruit salad (red berries and stone fruit) with a savoury herbal accent and a subtle saline twist for a refreshing finish. Perfect for summer seafood feasts. Quintessential Wines (Drogheda), Ely Wine Store (Maynooth), Barnhill Stores
Folias de Baco, Uivo 'Pt Nat' Rosé, Douro, Portugal, 11pc, €25
One of a cast of eminently drinkable natural wines from the talented Tiago Sampaio, this Pinot Noir-led sparkler is lively and sherbetty with pretty sour cherry fruit and salty minerality. His still Uivo Rosé (€22) is a sublime seafood match with intriguing seaweed umami notes. MacCurtain Wine Cellar, Blackrock Cellar, Clontarf Wines, D-Six, wineonline.ie
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