Give Rosé not roses

• 50 shades of pink anyone? Rosé wines aren’t just for summer! Having enjoyed some serious attention last year with retailers and distributors seeing one of the highest percentage booms of pink sales on record, it look like rosé wine is here to stay!
• So what is it about this new-found love of the pretty coloured tipple and why now? Warmer temperatures? Better winemaking? Well, it’s a combination of both of these (as well as the recent trend of celebrity-endorsed rosé and instagram’s love of all things pink).
• There’s little that’s more tempting and refreshing on a warm sunny day than a chilled glass of rosé, but with more rosé wine being produced from newly emerging regions, the styles on offer are vast.
• Whilst many Provençal and Chiaretto rosés are made to be drunk fresh, there are exceptions such as those from Bandol, Tavel and Etna. It is all to do with the grapes used in production of these rosé wines, with Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Grenache rounding up Bandol and Tavel rosés and the majestic Nerello Mascalese being used in the production of Etna rosés. These grapes are intensely perfumed whilst yielding rich fruit, minerality and powerful tannins which subside over a couple of years in bottle and really open up the wines’ full potential and flavour profile. The meticulous care in the production of these wines is reflected in their premium cost, but it’s a great way of exploring rosé’s potential as a serious food-friendly wine rather than a summer fling.
• And so, the potential of rosé with food: with so many shades of pink out there, you’ll find a rosé for nearly any dish, whether it’s a tuna Niçoise salad, or tomato and garlic bruschetta for the paler, drier styles to grilled meats and richer, more oily fish dishes for those with a fuller body and darker shade of colour.

Here at Art House Wine we have four rosé wines, each with a unique and distinctive style: from the super premium food-friendly Etna rosé to wonderfully gorgeous pale pink Chiaretto. Rosé wouldn’t be complete without a sparkle, which brings us to our best-selling fizz in the form of Lucciole, a gold winner last year at the China Wine & Spirit Awards. Finally, our Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo with the fuller body and darker shade that sways closer to red than pink, giving it the muscle to withstand those heavier dishes.
So, the question that remains is which shade of pink? 
​DP