Wine of the week #25 - Pinot Grigio Rosé (Rosé/Italy)

Hi all,

It's spring time! Sunny weekends, BBQs with friends, ice creams for the little ones and fruity, fresh wines all around!

I've been looking for a Cotes de Provence Rosé ever since I came back from there and was finally taken aback by a very commercial looking Italian Pinot Grigio Rosé!

It is

A dry rosé wine made from Pinot Grigio grape in the Venezie region, north-est of Italy.

You can expect

Appearance: light salmon-pink colour

Nose: subtle hints of strawberry & ripe pear.

Palate: Delicate red fruit flavours (strawberries/raspberries, cherries) nicely balanced by a gentle and relatively medium acidity. The alcohol is very discrete and the wine is, what a surprise, light bodied. The finish is relatively short but soft.

Not complex but an elegant&easy-to-drink-grab&go-to-your-picnic type of wine. Not sure what the Italians would call it but the French call this a Vin de soif ('thirst wine') and this is a perfect example.

LIGHT, UNEXPECTEDLY ELEGANT, EASY-GOING & EASY-DRINKING ROSÉ FOR YOUR NEXT MEAL IN THE SUN.

Score: 8/10 based on elegant balance fruit vs. acidity.

You'll like it if you like: light wines, Cotes de Provence, an easy tipple in the sun, staying away from Zinfandel rosé.

Have it:

Chilled on its own.

At a picnic (no corkscrew required!) with light food: carrots & houmous, fresh tomatoes, light creamy Bries, pear & grapes. Get the picture?

With most things light: salad, white fish

Find it:

1) Laithwaites - Il Pino £7.99. As above.

2) Tesco - Cotes de Provence £6 (on offer). Light and easy to drink but sadly more of a watered down version of Cotes de Provence then the real thing. Will not survive more than a night out of the fridge.

Special - My Provence Rosés
(unfortunately unavailable in the UK)

If you get the chance to go to Provence this Summer, try these beautiful Rosés and bring me some back!!

1) Le Galantin Bandol - Cinsault-Mourvedr-Syrah partially made from Saignée. More around €12-15

2) Les Caves du Commandeur - superb 7€ coopérative Grenache-Cinsault rosé (Cuvée Dédicace). Recommended by Hachette Guide.

3) Chateau Fontcreuse - Ever-rising star from Cassis. Superb light summer drink. Unfortunately too much in demand and price went up to €12-15. Gorgeous whites & big smooth reds too.

4) Domaine Jean-Pierre Gaussen. Historical figure of the Bandol area. Beautiful acclaimed rosé and great, personable  daughters running the show. Again, slightly higher prices but you're in for a real treat.

Did you know?

> Rosé can be made in three different ways:

1. Saignée. Literally 'a bleeding' in French; dark skinned grapes are macerated for a short time before fermentation with the skins to extract some colour and then fermented as a white wine.

2. Direct pressing of red/black grapes with limited skin contact for pale wines.

3. Blending red and white wines. This is strictly forbidden in the EU but might be done for cheap New World Rosés. Only EU exception: Champagne rosé as main flavours in Champagne coming from the 2nd fermentation not the first.

> For more info, click for the Pinot Grigio Did you know

Whatever you have, enjoy your tipple!

:@lex