Rosé season is fast approaching – even if the weather is yet to get the memo – so in a bid to make this year’s park picnics a 10/10 Provencal cottagecore dream, we’ve rounded up only the prettiest, palest blush vinos to get you in the spirit of summer.
The Angel has officially Whispered, people! From Provence to Portugal, here’s a look at the wines crying out for a sun terrace and a posh bag of crisps or oysters on ice, if you’re so inclined. Trust us, there’s not a bottle of saccharine, furry teeth, heady hen-party fuel in sight.
1. Amie X Rosé
Dreamt up during lockdown, Amie is a vegan wine created by friends, for friends (the name literally means female friends in French). Amie x Rosé is a pale, dry organic rosé produced in the Languedoc, south of France. Made from a blend of organic Grenache and Cinsault, the wine is a premium take on their original rosé and is light and crisp with citrus and strawberry characteristics, pairing well with salads, grilled and barbecued food. As if we weren’t already sold on the taste alone, £1 from each order will be donated to charity: water to help provide clean drinking water to people in developing countries. And whilst Amie’s out here being the full package drinkable, charitable rosé that it is, check the branding. Exquisite! As aesthetically-pleasing as it is delicious, this is *the* bottle to be seen drinking this summer. Now to pin down a long lunch date with whichever pal has been blessed with a garden. Santé!
2. Mirabeau Pure Provence Rosé
Synonymous with long, languid days on the Côte d’Azur, Mirabeau Pure is their flagship rosé, lovingly referred to as ‘Provence in a glass’. Crafted from some of the finest sun-drenched vineyards in the region, you’ll be very popular if you rock up at the barbecue with this fine wine up your sleeve. Delicate and balanced, and displaying aromas of peach, lychee, passion fruit and flint, it’s perfect for pairing with lighter cuisine and desserts with a citrus note.
3. ‘M’ De Minuty Rosé Côtes de Provence
Gorgeous, gorgeous girls drink Minuty and pretend they’re holidaying in the Med. Château Minuty is a magnificent estate situated on the Saint-Tropez peninsula, delighting wine aficionados since the 19th century. Not only is it one of the last remaining Châteaux in Provence to pick their grapes by hand, it’s one of only 23 estates to be designated Cru Classé (the best of the best). Its elegant minerality truly sets it apart from the rest, making it effortlessly quaffable in the sunshine and the perfect partner for shellfish or a fresh Nicoise salad thanks to its white peach notes and hints of strawberry. For a dependable summer rosé made to be enjoyed on a sun-kissed roof terrace, look no further than this prestigious crowd pleaser.
4. LB7 Rosé
With flavours of strawberry, peaches and cream, and a lovely soft finish, LB7 Rosé is just as dry and refreshing as any Provencal pink. The grapes come from the Lisboa region whereby the climate gives it a lovely fresh acidity but it’s matched with fruity strawberry flavours making it juicy on the palate and super drinkable. Serve as an aperitif with salty almonds, olives or any seafood dish.
5. Miraval Provence Rose
Whiling away a summer’s afternoon doesn’t get better than this. Miraval shot to fame when Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt purchased the estate (aka the promised land of legendary wine) back in 2008 and even got married there in 2014, so let that be your sign to pick up a bottle of the pink plonk and toast to hot girl summer. Gloriously scented with spring flowers and fresh fruit, Miraval delicately combines flavours of red currants and citrus for an elegant rosé
with mineral saline notes and a long finish. In other words, it’s dangerously drinkable.
£19.00 75cl
Buy now: https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/304791628
6. Lady A Rosé
Still waiting on your Soho House membership? Same, hun but with a glass of Lady A in hand, you can create those immaculate Soho House vibes from the comfort of your own home.
Soho House Sommelier Vincent Gasnier describes it as a “delicious thirst-quenching rose – yet delicate and elegant. Pale in colour, it is light, crisp and zesty, offering flavours of citrus, pink grapefruit, peach and raspberry with a long and refreshing finish.”
Can we technically call it a food shop if it’s 90% liquid? Asking for a friend.
7. MAÏA Rosé, Côtes de Provence
Best enjoyed barefoot with your besties, MAÏA is a beautiful salmon-pink blend of Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah, Rolle and Mourvèdre from ancient vineyards in the heart of the Côtes de Provence appellation. Generous sunshine, coupled with sea breezes from the nearby Mediterranean Sea provide the perfect conditions for making fresh, elegant rosé. Featuring pear drop notes with an uplifting acidity, MAÏA is the perfect drink to capture the spirit of Provence, evocative of sunny days and long meals around the table with friends and family.
8. Quatre Vin Rosé 2021
Say enchanté to one of the new kids on the block. Created by four friends with a passion for wine, food and good times, Quatre Vine Rosé was born when Oliver Proudlock, his wife Emma Lousie Proudlock, Elliot Awin and his fiancée Paula Anton collaborated with the 7th generation wine making Negrel family. Organically-farmed, vegan friendly and sustainably made at a family run winery in the heart of Provence, it’s a classic mineral rosé that conjures carefree, sun-soaked days in the south of France. If fresh and peachy is your thing, with barely-there colour, then introduce Quatre Vin Rose to all future summer soirees.
9. Maison Gutowski M-G 2020
This award-winning vino is a premium blend sourced from older vines from some of the best sites in the appellation (protected wine regions). Delicate with florals, red fruits and white peach, it’s a fail-safe rosé all-year round. That said, it goes down *particularly* well on a balmy summer evening. Alexa, play Taylor Swift – August.
10. Whispering Angel
No self-respecting rosé round-up would be complete without the poster child of translucent ballet slipper wine: Whispering Angel, from the award-winning Château d’Esclans. Adored by wine lovers across the globe (including the one and only, Adele) and reputedly the greatest rosé in the world, it’s the cherubic cult summer wine we all love to love. With fresh notes of apple, pink grapefruit, peach and cream, its taste profile is full and lush while being bone dry with a smooth finish. Summer simply isn’t summer until the Angel has Whispered.
