There are some days when you just can’t beat a bit of pink. Rosé sometimes gets a lot of stigma (I’ll admit, it can be lethal - it’s not called Lady Petrol for nothing) but I still bloody love it.
Rosé is all about a celebration. It’s a wine that is really all about who we are with, where we are, and what we are feeling. It’s holiday wine. Poolside perfection. It’s ‘finished work and heading for the weekend’ wine. It’s summer wedding wine. It’s beach club in Ibiza wine. And it’s absolutely just ‘I’ve had a ‘day’. Rosé is a go-to serve when you want something uncomplicated but not boring: strawberry, pink grapefruit, citrus zing, the fleck of minerality - it’s summery clarity in a glass. Easy. Refreshing. And just bloody joyous.
I don’t abide by many rules in wine, but in rosé there is one that I stick to without fail: deliciously crisp, coral‑pink rosé shouldn’t cost more than £15. Any higher, and you’re paying for the marketing, not the drink.
I think that rosé is one of wine’s biggest success stories this century. While the wine world sits around in scarlet corduroys, scratching it’s head and wondering how to keep wine relevant and desirable, the wine growers of Provence have stumbled upon the fact that they’re not really selling wine, they have started to sell pleasure.
And, what’s more, they’re selling lots of it for pretty big money.
Whilst Prosecco averages out at about £7.50 a bottle, Provence Rosé has pipped through the £15 mark and plenty of other rosé makers are very happy being swept along on the coat tails.
The rosé phenomenon all really started in the 1950’s with Mateus Rosé - cheap, sweet and spritzy; a sort of retro rocket fuel that was famed for being a favourite of both Saddam Hussein and Queen Elizabeth II (no comment).
Thankfully, with the onset of cheap travel, and warmer climes, as well as drinkers leaning more into crisp, dry wines, winemakers have dialled back the colour, and with it, the sweetness. It was the 80s and 90s that helped to promote up the blush, with travel to the south of France becoming easier, new crowds were opened up to Provence rosé and its barely-there tint looking so good in the glass. That pale pink became shorthand for quality, trendiness, and that “I summer in Saint-Tropez” vibe. The style gained cult status and producers all over the world started chasing that same pale-pink look, even if they weren’t in the south of France.
Rosé had moved from being it’s deep scarlet colour, often taking itself seriously (think Tavel Rosé), to a pale, coral pink beauty that’s sole purpose was to be beautiful. And it’s become paler and paler since. Through Instagram, celebrity endorsements, influencers and ad campaigns, rosé is now more glamorous than Champagne. In fact, about one in three bottles of wine we buy is a pink one. That means big big bucks for the winemakers.
But does a big buck industry mean that we should pay big bucks for a good bottle? What we’re really getting at here is, of course, how much to spend on a bottle of rosé and, like all things in wine, there’s no right answer.
What I love with this one though is that it’s really quite simple. Are we buying for the taste of the juice or are we buying for the impact at the table, or by the pool of course? If it’s the latter, then go for your life – pay as much as is going to bring you joy and get it in magnums. If it’s for the quality though, it’s £15 max every time.
Rosé is not a serious wine so you don’t need to spend serious money. Instead, rosé is a fun wine, zippy, refreshing, joyous - it’s there for you to enjoy, and your wallet should too.
Five best Rosés for under £15:
Screaming Devil Rosé, Côtes de Provence @ £13.00 - Widely Available
La Minuette Organic Rosé, Domaine Gayda, La Liviniere £14.00 - Cambridge Wine Merchants
Tommasi Le Fornaci Rosé, Lugana, Italy @ £14.99 - Majestic
Mirabeau Pure Rosé, Provence @ £13 - Ocado
Domaine de Triennes Rosé, Provence @ £14.50 - Berry Brothers
Five best Rosés when you want to spend more:
Château Léoube Rosé Côtes de Provence @ £19.70 - Vinvm
Château Romassan Organic Rosé, Domaines Ott, Bandol @ £42.99 - Waitrose
Miravel ‘Saint Victoire’ Rosé, Côtes-de-Provence Saint-Victoire @ £23.99 - Majestic
Château Minuty ‘Cuvée Prestige’, Côtes de Provence @ £18.90 - Vinatis
Feudi di San Gegorio Visione Rosato, Campania, Italy £21.00 - Hic-Merchants
And two bottles if you need to unload a lot of cash quick:
Gérard Bertrand ‘Clos du Temple’ Organic Rosé, Languedoc @ £188.99 - Majestic
Chateau d’Estoublon ‘1489’ Organic Rosé, Cotes de Provence @ £59.99 - Majestic