From Mykonos to St Tropez, sipping rosé has become synonymous with endless summer days in Europe’s most exclusive destinations, where long lunches are fuelled by only the palest picks from Provence and champagne-spraying is considered positively passé.
But pink wine isn’t just for summer, as the free-pouring decadence taking place on the slopes of Courcheval and Méribel proves. The best bottles pair just as well with a winter warmer as they do salad and sunshine. In fact, I rather like serving mine as an accompaniment to Christmas lunch for something a bit different. Give it a go.
Far removed from the dark, fruity depths of Mateus – the original Portuguese variety popular in the 70s served from a (now-iconic) hip flask-inspired bottle – it’s undeniably Whispering Angel that can be credited with our newfound thirst for rosé. As the sexy poster child for premium pinks, and a status symbol that graces any gathering worth going to, it’s hard to fathom how supply keeps up with demand around the world.
Despite its rebrand as a day-drinking staple – a single snap from a social media influencer swirling a glass of the stuff is ‘Gram gold – rosé is one the oldest wines around. Ironic, isn’t it? That’s because its production methods are relatively simple, made from red wine grapes with a reduced time fermenting with the grape skins, while it can be created from any red wine grape in any wine-growing region. This gives it a pinker hue and a lighter flavour than reds.
That’s not to say that all rosé wines are made equal. Those crafted in Provence with their signature pale colour are certainly the most fashionable – and many argue, the most delicious – but getting more to grips with a glass (and really understanding its qualities) has given rise to a new wave of exciting producers and must-try brands.
Here, we’ve done the hard work – well, someone had to – and tried the most delicious rosés out there to compile the ultimate shopping list to buy.
It’s time to clink the pink. Shop now
Whispering Angel Côtes de Provence Rosé
Created in the cellars of Château d’Escalans – a revered estate in the hills of Provence that set out to create the greatest rosé on the planet – Whispering Angel has become a byword for the pale pinks so beloved of this region.
It’s succeeded, as its dusky colour and dry flavour has become famous, while its evocative name and beautiful bottle add to its cool credentials. While the producer has since brought out other bottles – Rock Angel and The Palm, amongst others – the original remains the best: made from Grenache, Cinasault and Rolle, it’s a shining example of its kind, and still leads the charge in the rosé renaissance.
Buy now £20.99, Waitrose
The Pale, Rosé by Sacha Lichine
Oh, Sacha Lichine, you spoil us! Not content with creating what is the best rosé of recent times in Whispering Angel (above), the producer has now launched The Pale: a deliciously dry rosé that makes all others at this price point, quite frankly, pale in comparison.
With its bottle more akin to a gin or whisky served at a speakeasy, together with artwork inspired by early editions of the New Yorker, it’s hard to miss in a supermarket sweep. Inspired by the fresh sea air of the French Riviera, the wine itself is an aromatic and expressive blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah grapes grown parallel to the Mediterranean coast. It’s these salty, sunny soils that lend the wine its dry yet fruity character. Summer bliss.
Buy now £14.99, Waitrose
Graham Beck Brut Rosé NV
With its winemaker affectionately known as ‘Mr Bubbles’, how can you not love a glass of Graham Beck, a refreshingly South African reinterpretation on a fizzy rosé at a fraction of the price of a decent champers?
Pitched as an ‘anywhere, anytime’ kind of pink – our kind of drink – it’s a cracking combo of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a silvery-pink colour and flavours of crushed berries with a rich mousse and a brioche finish.
Flirtatious and fun, it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Reflective, perhaps, of the man behind its marque. Perfect for all seasons and all settings.
Buy now £16.99, Majestic
Lady A Rosé
Good news: the own-brand rosé at Soho House, Lady A, can now be swirled and sank from the comfort of home.
Created by Château La Coste for founder Nick Jones, the creative bottle comes with a Damien Hirst-designed butterfly emblazoned across the front, while the Provençal pink itself fuses the best of Grenache and Cinsault grapes for a crisp and vibrant flavour with aromas of red cherry, pink grapefruit and ripe strawberry.
Thirst-quenching enough to fuel even the most raucous of media luncheons, it’s about time it was made available to the masses, though do tell only who you must…
Buy now £17.00, Ocado
Ridgeview Fitzrovia Rosé
A quality session fizz, Ridgeview Fitzrovia Rosé would stand proudly next to any champagne in a crowded trug, with its weighty bottle and wonderful flavours.
Elegant and sophisticated, it has a delicate salmon colour with deliciously fine bubbles, and is packed with raspberry, citrus and honey notes. Its low acidity that makes it oh-so drinkable, too, meaning it’s perfect for endless rounds when entertaining. The fresh fizz is strictly limited-edition from Ridgeview – the family-run, Sussex-based producer that’s been slowly paving the way for decent British sparkling – so bag a bottle while you can.
If it’s good enough for Buckingham Palace (where it was served at a state banquet to Barack Obama) it’s certainly good enough for us.
Buy now £38.00, Harvey Nichols
Amie Rosé
A lockdown collaboration between engaged couple Will Sandbach and Abbie Roden, together with the help of their friends (from a PR expert to an artist), Amie means, rather fittingly, ‘female friend.’
Made with a load of love in the Languedoc, their rosé is 100 per cent Cinsault, and is fresh and vibrant with red berry flavours and a touch of cherry blossom.
But the best bit? The brand operates predominantly direct to consumers, with £1 from every order donated to charity, plus free delivery to your door. Fresh for summer 2022, the house is also launching Amie X next month, a more premium take on its pink. We’ll take them all.
Buy now £15.00, Ocado
Maison Saint AIX Rosé 2020
Known for arriving in supersized bottles at the tables of summering celebrities, AIX is all about sharing the love, whether a regular 75cl bottle, a magnum (more cost-effective for groups in beach clubs), or even a Nebuchadnezzar (15l).
Size aside, its credentials remain the same: a fresh and fragrant salmon-pink rosé with red fruits, peach and flower hints. Comprising Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault, it’s the perfect embodiment of its kind from Aix-en-Provence, and is as easy-drinking as you’d expect.
Buy now £21.99, Selfridges
Hattingley Valley Brut Rosé 2019
An excellent intro into sparkling rosé, Hattingley Valley Rosé is bubbly but subtle, with a balanced acidity and a refreshing finish.
An award-winning combination of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes – harvested by founder Simon Robinson at the namesake winery in Hampshire – have been blended to create redcurrant and red apple flavours with warm toasty notes. Its easy-drinking nature and dusky-pink colour make it a perfect summer sip, while its elegant bottle has real presence and feels like Perrier Jouët in-hand.
Ironically, Simon didn’t want to add a rosé to his portfolio at first, as he didn’t think it was ‘a serious wine’, but now this is his favourite – obvs.
Buy now £39.00, Fenwick
Quatre Vin Côtes de Provence Rosé 2021
Could we love the Proudlocks – made up of former Made in Chelsea star Oli, plus his foodie wife Emma (AKA ‘The Greedy Model’) – any more? We can now, thanks to the launch of their Quatre Vin Rosé, an organically-farmed, sustainably-made rosé that’s the palest of pinks and simply begs to be enjoyed poolside.
Expect juicy stone fruit, freeze-fried strawberries and a light floral touch. Finally: a celebrity wine with substance as well as style.
Buy now £15.99, Fenwick
Kylie Minogue Prosecco Rosé NV
Whether it’s love at first sight (sip?) or a few glasses leave you spinning around, the star factor is clear in Kylie’s pink Prosecco. So clear in fact, that it’s one of the UK’s best-selling bottles with someone drinking her wine every 1.5 seconds, according to recent sales data. Talk about top of the pops.
Expect crisp, fresh notes of strawberries, raspberries and blossom bubbling out of the flute.
Buy now £11.50, Morrisons
Nyetimber Rosé NV
As the first producer of English sparkling to exclusively grow the three celebrated grape varieties (holy trinity of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier) Nyetimber is often held up as the original British fizz.
Made in West Sussex, it’s a vibrant rosé featuring aromas of summery fruits and biscuity shortbread, teamed with juicy redcurrant, raspberry and cherry flavours. With a creamy texture and a silky finish, it’s bone-dry and pairs well with weighty dishes, meaning it’s as enjoyable in the winter as it is in the summer.
What’s more, its distinctive sunset colour, with hints of red and copper, make it stand out in a sea of subtle pales.
Buy now £42.99, Selfridges
Bolney Cuvée Rosé 2018
A plentiful but fine fizz can be found in a glass of Bolney Cuvée Rosé, a traditional-method vintage filled with lots of tiny little bubbles. Bursting with floral and red apple aromas, and showcasing a salmon-pink colour, it’s a classy bottle for bringing out in front of friends, and has a bright, fresh flavour of delicate red apples and cranberries. Made at a family-run winery on the South Downs – a signature of so many British sparklings, it seems – this pale pink is yet more proof that you don’t need to go to France for something premium and celebratory.
Buy now £42.95, Twelve Green Bottles
Madame F Rosé 2020
While its delicate and fruity taste certainly deserves high praise – a unique combo of Grenache and Shiraz – there’s so much more to Madame F than its charismatic flavour.
As a collaboration with Queer Britain, a charity working to create the UK’s first national LGBTQ+ museum in King’s Cross, it’s the first rosé to support the marginalised community. So passionate are the makers, they’re pledging £30,000 every year to support the cause, meaning every bottle bought helps the build.
With a fabulous label emblazoned with the brand’s signature – ‘Susy the Frog’ – this is pink with a purpose. Look out for it in Sainsbury’s from April 18, 2022.
Buy now £8.00, Sainsbury's
Ayala Rosé Majeur NV
Who knew that Bollinger had a younger sibling? Raise a glass to Ayala, a fruity rosé Champagne with all the finesse of its older sister, albeit at a significantly more affordable price point. Copper in colour, it has fragrant aromas of strawberries, raspberries and morello cherries – with just a hint of spice! – while it’s packed with red-fruit flavours of red gooseberry, raspberry and blackcurrant. It’s made mostly from Chardonnay – 50 per cent, no less – making it quietly elegant and entirely quaffable. Bottoms up.
Buy now £39.75, The Whisky Exchange
Mirabeau Forever Summer Rosé
A fun and unfussy rosé, Mirabeau Forever Summer not only comes in a Millennial-friendly bottle, but it’s got an excellent flavour profile to back it up: a crisp, citrus acidity with fresh, mild notes on the palate and a finish of lime and apricots. With lower alcohol than lots of its counterparts – just 11.5 per cent – it’s a lighter, brighter alternative for a picnic in the park.
Buy now £10.00, Asda
Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial Rosé
With the biggest vineyard estate in Champagne, Moët & Chandon has become a byword for French fizz since 1743, but it’s not one to to rest on its laurels.
Now, the makers take their rosé production just as seriously as their flagship blend, with no less than two facilities dedicated to creating quality red wines for its pink portfolio.
Its signature? The ultra-modern Moët & Chandon Impérial Rosé: an expressive and aromatic blend of Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay that serves up vivacity and finesse with generosity and structure. In short: a pink that’s popular for very good reason.
Was: £53.74
Buy now £47.99, Master of Malt
Exton Park Vineyard Brut Rosé
White peach and red berries explode in Exton Park Reserve Blend, hailing from Hampshire, to create a delicate and dry rosé with a floral taste and notes of white peach and red berries. Comprising Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, it’s English rose in colour and fragrant to the nose, making it refreshing and elegant. So much so, it’s been selected by four-Michelin-starred Simon Rogan as his house blend, which is high praise indeed from the esteemed chef.
Buy now £39.99, Adnams
Veuve Clicquot Rosé Champagne
Sure, sparkling rosés are everywhere now, but it wasn’t always that way. Back in the day (over 200 years ago, in fact) Madame Clicquot herself was the first winemaker to break with convention and blend her fine Bouzy reds with her classic Champagne. The lovechild of her endeavours? Veuve Clicquot Rosé, a cuvée based on her beloved and traditional Yellow Label blend, topped with 12 per cent of red wine crafted specifically or strength and intensity. The result is a copper-hued, full-bodied sparkling superstar bursting at the seams with finesse and character – just like Madame herself. A celebratory crowd-pleaser, if you can bear to share.
Buy now £59.99, Majestic
NICE French Pale Rosé Canned Wine 250ml
Wine from a tin? While it certainly has its place on a train, the judgement received when drinking from a can under any other circumstance is palpable – until now.
Introducing Nice Pale Rosé: a crisp and dry French pink from the Languedoc-Roussillon region with a fruity finish and funky packaging. Stocked on Virgin Atlantic and at Wimbledon, it may just be about time tinned wine was taken more seriously – watch this space for more canned brands entering the market as the format gains credibility.
Price is for a case of 12.
Buy now £35.99, Amazon
Rathfinny Rosé Brut 2018
We implore you to pop a bottle of just-launched Rathfinny – a recent labour of love from the family-run wine estate on the South Downs.
A fabulous fusion of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, it’s a zesty little number with rich creaminess and a vibrant mousse, together with notes of wild strawberry, orange zest and fizzy sherbet.
Packaged up in a smart and sophisticated bottle, it’s an elegant drink for special occasions, even if one of those just happens to fall on a dreary Monday evening…
Buy now £41.99, Selfridges
Roebuck Rosé De Noirs 2016
An Indian summer in 2016 means that this Sussex-born pink, and many others of this vintage, lays claim to full ripeness – an essential foundation for great wines. Pop the impressive bottle, and you’ll find a delicate rosé with aromas of wild strawberries, white peach and rose petals – a tempting appetiser to the juicy red fruits, honeysuckle and white blossom enjoyed on the palate.
Buy now £39.75, The Whisky Exchange
RUMOR Cotes de Provence Rosé 2021
If it’s good enough to serve in exclusive London restaurant Daphne’s, then Rumor is certainly good enough to serve at home, light pink in colour and just as refreshing as you’d expect. Deliciously dry.
Buy now £26.99, Selfridges
Chapel Down English Rosé NV
Arguably the first famous British fizz, award-winning Chapel Down in Kent has branched out from white to pink, and its English Rosé NV is our pick of them: a classic blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Black pack every glass with aromas of redcurrant, strawberry and rosehip. Petal-pink and persistently bubbly, it’s worth upgrading to this from its Rosé Brut, while the smart and sexy bottle looks showy enough to pop in front of friends
Buy now £24.99, Amazon
Chapel Down English Rose 2022
Raspberries, strawberries and cream come together to lip-smacking effect in this juicy, fruity rosé from renowned Kentish winery Chapel Down. Gloriously refreshing, it’s made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes, while it boasts citrus aromas, crisp acidity and a long finish. A triumph.
Buy now £15.49, Waitrose
Arbousset Tavel Rose
Don’t be put off by the dark hues of this superb rosé. Made in the southern Rhône Valley, it’s bursting with complexity and finesse, while it can even be considered for ageing. Expect a dry and full-bodied sip with notes of grapefruit, raspberries and spices. Perfect for enjoying throughout the year with spicy food, cheese and fruity desserts.
Buy now £12.50, Tesco
Tesco Finest Prosecco Rosé
Fresh and fruity, Tesco Finest Prosecco Rosé is a savvy pick for the party season, made with the Glera grape and perfect for raising a toast. At under a tenner, there’ll be plenty to go around. Great as a base for a cocktail.
Buy now £8.00, Tesco
Woolton Sparkling Rose 2014
Roasted nuts, zesty lemon and buttery brioche combine in this special bottle of sparkling rosé from Woolton Wines in Kent. Bring out the best of its rich and fruity flavours with a comforting fondue or light risotto.
Buy now £36.00, Woolton
#LOU by Peyrassol, Cotes de Provence, France 2022
Intense and fruity, with flavours with gooseberry and strawberry, #Lou is a simple and light Provence rosé that’s as perfect in the winter months as it is the summer season. We love the arsty label, too.
Buy now £12.99, Fine Wines Direct
Oastbrook Sparkling Rosé 2015
Hailing from Sussex, this fizzy sparkling rosé serves up a palate of cherries and blackberries together with herbs, spices and dried orange peel. It’s seriously refreshing and oh-so drinkable. Pop the cork for celebratory occasions.
Buy now £38.00, Oastbrook
Harvey Nichols Provence Rose 21
Harvey Nicks describe their own-label pink as ‘the crème de la crème of Provencal rosés’, and we’re inclined to agree. It’s delicate and sophisticated with notes of pink grapefruit, redcurrant, orchard blossom, plum and orange zest with a sprinkle of sea salt.
Buy now £18.50, Harvey Nichols
Folc Dry English Rosé 2022
Expect bright raspberry, peach and red apple in this refreshing still English rosé from Folc. It’s pale in colour with a crisp and clean palate, floral and creamy notes, and a finish that goes on and on.
Buy now £19.99, Folc
Domaine Bousquet Rosé
A cherry-flavoured rosé with refreshing sweetness and a reassuringly pale colour, this pink – served in Gaucho restaurants, interestingly – is a blend of Pinot Noir, Syrah, Pinot Gris and Viognier. Better still, it’s one of the most sustainably-produced rosés there is: 100% organic and vegan; B Corp status; and lightweight in terms of bottle to reduce its carbon footprint.
Buy now £12.95, Vintage roots
Black Chalk 2022 ‘Dancer In Pink’
This interestingly-named rosé serves up notes of ripe strawberries and cherry blossom with a palate of red fruits and peach. It’s dry, fresh and oh-so smooth.
Buy now £22.00, Black Chalk Wine
Tinwood Brut Rosé 2019
The most salmony of sips in colour, Tinwood Brut Rosé comes with a blast of bubbles and a beautifully creamy mousse, while its classic red fruits bring freshness and finesse.
On the nose? Classic strawberries and cream, recalling a British summer’s day, that makes this the ultimate aperitif for a sun-soaked garden party. Its namesake estate, at the foot of the South Downs National Park, is developing quite the reputation for refined British sparkling – and it’s not hard to see why.
Buy now £35.00, Tinwood Estate
Sea Change Provence Rosé 2020
In a sea of greenwashing, it can be hard to find brands with genuine sustainability credentials, but Sea Change is one of them: ethically-sourced, eco-friendly wines that don’t only come with a conscience in the way they’re created (including being partially made from grape waste, and removing the plastic wrapping around the cork), but a donation is made to a marine charity with every bottle sold.
Its Provence rosé is full of zesty fresh grapefruit, delicate white peach and tropical pineapple flavours – while the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre in Baa Atoll receives funding as a result of rosé sales.
Buy now £19.49, Vivino
