Those of a certain age will remember, and possibly even recall snogging to, Procol Harum’s A Whiter Shade of Pale, a song that sold 10m copies and became one of the bestselling singles of all time. Maybe it still lurks in our subconscious when we think about rosé, because there seems no other rational explanation for the unaccountable attachment we now have to its palest iteration, which more closely resembles a white wine than a pink one. There’s even a rosé called The Pale (currently on offer at £10 from Ocado), from the ingenious Sacha Lichine, who also created Whispering Angel, one of the wines that kickstarted the whole paler-than-pale rosé trend.
Looking back, it seems counterintuitive. If rosé was at one time regarded as girlie, which it was, you’d think that prejudice would be overcome by darker rosés, rather than pale ones, but a combination of smart bottling, clever branding and the inherent glamour of Provence have made the style one that every wine producer now seems to want to emulate, not least for the price it can fetch. (Whispering Angel, which I can recall being about £16-£17 in relatively recent memory, now sells for £23.99 at Majestic, unless you take advantage of that store’s mix-six deal, and even then it will still cost you a relatively hefty £19.99.)
Lately, however, I have spotted quite a few darker rosés at trade tastings. Spain, especially the Rioja and Navarra regions, has always favoured them, and has one of the most famous and age-worthy: Lopez de Heredia’s Tondonia Gran Reserva Rosado, which can top £100 at some retailers. Tavel in the Rhône, meanwhile, has a whole appellation devoted to its signature, crimson-pink style, and if you see cerasuolo on a wine list, that will generally be deep-coloured, too. In fact, at this end of the colour spectrum, it’s sometimes difficult to say what is a red and what’s a rosé – it’s a question of which grapes are used, how long the juice remains in contact with the skins, the local regulations or, if there are none, what the winemaker chooses to call it.
The advantage to deeper-coloured rosés is that they tend to be more versatile with food. What’s often called swimming-pool rosé is delicious if you want to drink it on its own, but if you want to partner your wine with bold flavours, such as harissa, a curry (with which they’re very good) or a barbecue, dark rosés with their fuller, more robust structure are the way to go. Oh, and you don’t generally need to serve them as cold as their pale cousins – think lightly, rather than heavily chilled.
Five dark(ish) rosés to try
Aldi Specially Selected Rioja Rosado 2022 £6.99, 13%. Full-flavoured Spanish rosé that would work well with a selection of tapas.
Asda Extra Special Malbec Rosé 2022 £6 (on offer until 10 May, down from £7), 13.5%. Super-fruity Argentinian rosé brimming with strawberry, red cherry and watermelon. A good option if you find Provence rosés too dry.
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, Contesa 2022 £8.95 The Wine Society, 13.5%. Bright, breezy, deep-coloured Italian rosato. Would be great with a pizza.
Arbousset Tavel Rosé 2021 £12 Tesco, 13.5%. Really deep-coloured rosé that’s more like a light red. Could handle big Mediterranean flavours such as herbs, garlic and black olives.
Ripa Rosado 2017 £28.25 NY Wines, £29.95 Berry Bros & Rudd, 13.5%. An age-worthy rose made by José Luis Ripa Säenz de Navarrete, who was instrumental in making Spain’s greatest gastronomic rose, Tondonia. Deep, complex and savoury, I’d drink it with lamb chops or, if I was feeling flush, grilled lobster. A fraction of the price of Tondonia, too.
For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com
