The sun has finally decided to come out (for a few days at least), so we’re turning our focus to some gloriously fresh rosé wine. Crisp, light, cold from the fridge, nothing beats a glass of rosé on a warm day. To continue my education of wine, I thought therefore it was time to look at what rosé actually is.

I know it’s not half red, half white, mixed to get pink...but beyond that I’m stumped. So here we go, rosé, what are you? And how are you made?

Red grapes. Skin contact. Simple.

Wine gets its colour from the skin of grapes; all juice is clear when squeezed from a grape; let the skins steep in the juice and colour starts to form. James' favourite analogy is to imagine a tea bag, the longer you leave it in, the darker your cup of tea will become. Apparently I never let tea bags stew long enough, so maybe the rosé style is my thing!

Rosé wine is therefore made when red grapes are juiced and the grape skins are left in until the juice starts to take on a pale pink hue. This process of skin and juice working together is known as maceration. Provence is widely hailed as Home of the best rosé. Having tasted AIX’s rosé, from Aix-en-Provence, I’d be tempted to agree. Pale in colour, it really hits the nail on the head. We stock it in a range of sizes, the cheapest, 75cl, coming in at £16.50. Want to go big? Get yourself a 600cl bottle, perfect for a summer party, at £185. Looking to try a rosé from elsewhere? We also have a great one from Bodegas Perica, in their 6cepas6 range. This comes in a fabulous bottle and is a little cheaper at £11.99; still gloriously pale in colour and delicious to taste. If it’s fizz your after, check out Langlois Cremant de Loire Brut Rosé, £15.99 a bottle.

Want to know more about the rosé craze? Have a look at this guardian article. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jul/18/think-pink-how-rose-became-the-booze-of-choice-for-millennials