Forget the weather and think pink this summer

Perhaps all the more reason to crack open a bottle of rosé and pretend to be in the South of France, even though the sky may remain doggedly grey and temperatures struggling to get much over 20 degrees.

A refreshing bottle of rosé can lift the spirits and is a surprisingly versatile accompaniment to a range of summer dishes.

It almost seems as if France invented rosé and indeed perhaps they did, since centuries ago much red wine was quite pale in colour.

Every wine region of France makes pink wine of varying hues, the current fashion being for pale coloured rosé, which in fact takes considerable skill to achieve.

Nearly all French rosé, except pink champagne, is made from red grape varieties, the skins giving the colour.

The skill is to obtain a very pale colour at the same time as producing a wine with good depth of flavour and aromatics.

The vast majority of French Rosé is made to be drunk within a year or so of the vintage, so it’s best to avoid old vintages

Seek out the 2022’s which will be fresh and crisp.

As a rule of thumb, most pale, young, rosé from Provence will be very enjoyable and refreshing and shouldn’t be too expensive.

There are a few brands around nowadays which are presented in fancy shaped bottles and perhaps have an association with film stars and thus command higher prices.

Personally, I am unconvinced that the increase in quality has followed the increase in sales price.

Two other French regions which make first class rosé wines are the island of Corsica and the Loire Valley.

Wines from these areas are almost guaranteed to be flavoursome, aromatic and enjoyable.

The Corsican wines are most often made from local grape varieties Nieluccio and Sciacarello whilst a rosé from the Reuilly region in the Loire, is made from Pinot Gris grapes – a white variety that has a pink ‘blush’ on the skins when ripe.

Utterly delicious and fabulous with summer salads.

The Wine Society has an amazing range of some 47 different French rosé wines, ranging in price from £7.50 to £24, the vast majority being the 2022 vintage.

Corbières Rosé Alba 2022 from Chateau Ollieux Romanis is a fabulous wine, extremely pale ‘onion skin’ colour, with delicious ripe nectarine flavours and appealing fruit and herb aromas.

Bone dry, elegant and refined, from a blend of cinsault, grenache noir and grenache gris. £14.50 a bottle.

The same chateau produces another Corbières Rosé in a slightly different style at £10.95 per bottle, which is fuller flavoured and full-bodied, perfect with more flavoursome summer fare, such as grilled meats and vegetables.

Seek out French Rosé at The Wine Society or supermarkets and independent merchants and make sure its 2022. Somewhere there is a rosé just for you.