Richard Esling, On the Grapevine: Summer Rosé: The Blush of Elegance in a Glass

Pale as the petals of a Provencal bloom, or flushed like the cheeks of youth, rosé wine becomes the unspoken emblem of summer’s graceful ease.

Much like the very best expressions of seasonal elegance, the finest rosé wines are crafted with intention, not as an afterthought.

In recent years, there’s been a palpable shift – rosé is no longer merely a poolside frivolity or a brief dalliance with pink. It’s a wine of precision, finesse, and, increasingly, terroir.

In the sun-drenched hills of southern France, rosé isn’t a trend, it’s a tradition refined over centuries. Wines from regions such as Côtes de Provence and the Languedoc, exhibit a whisper-pale hue – nearly translucent, yet never insipid.

Delicately vinified from Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre, and Syrah, they evoke crushed strawberry, white peach, and a saline minerality that speaks of Mediterranean breezes and stony soils.

The beauty of rosé lies in its duality – it is both serious and seductive, structured yet whimsical.

It performs effortlessly as an aperitif yet is versatile enough to pair with an entire summer menu, from grilled prawns to a courgette and goat cheese tart.

The best examples have a quiet confidence: they don’t shout, but rather whisper—drawing you in with each sip, each shade of pink, each nuance of fruit and minerality.

A wine capturing this spirit of serious seduction is Whispering Angel Cotes de Provence 2024, possibly the best vintage of this wine yet made.

Benchmark, classic Provence Rosé, with perfected elegance, adored around the world.

Widely available, the standard price is £22.50, but Tesco’s and Waitrose have great offers, amongst others. Wild strawberry, white peach and subtle pink grapefruit flavours.

Keeping with the angelic theme, La Belle Angèle Rosé 2024 is a Provence style pink sourced from vineyards across the South of France.

Dry, with stonefruit and raspberry flavours. Easy drinking from Majestic £7.50 Mix six price.

One of my all-time favourite Provence Rosé wines is Chateau Minuty and its less expensive sibling ‘M’ de Minuty.

Both are dry, juicy fabulous pinks with great depth of flavour and elegance, the Minuty Prestige (£19 Majestic Mix six) having a little greater depth than ‘M’ de Minuty – Waitrose £15.

Sourced from some of the best vineyards of the region. You can almost smell the lavender and rosemary and hear the cigalles singing from the stony landscape, as you sip a glass of pure, precise, pink perfection.

Chateau des Ferrages 2024 is another fashionably pale pink Provence Rosé.

Named ‘Mon Plaisir’ on the label it really is a true delight and comes from the greatly experienced M Chapoutier winemaker.

Those same strawberry, peach and grapefruit flavours from top-notch rosé of the 3 ‘p’s – pale, pink Provence. From independent merchants around £19 per bottle

Oriel Mediterranean Rosé 2024 is a fresh, dry, crisp Provence lookalike, blended from southern French vineyards. Great anyday anytime rosé at £8.50 from Tesco’s.

In the fleeting brightness of June and July, when the days are long and the evenings laced with lavender-scented air, there is perhaps no better companion than a perfectly chilled glass of rosé—elegant, poised, and refreshingly alive.