It’s a bit of utilitarian Sunday Drinking this week. I’m just going to recommend three rosés which I like very much. But first exciting news, at least for me, as finished copies of my new book are in. And I am very pleased with how it looks. Thank you publishers! I haven’t noticed any typos yet either. It’s published on 3 August so please do order a copy from Amazon, Waterstones or your friendly local bookshop. I’ll be doing various events around England to plug the book which I’ll put up here. It would be great to meet some readers. There should be wine at most if not all the events.
Right, let’s get on with my summer rosé round-up. Yee haw!
Folc Rosé 2022 (Songbird Wines £16.50)
I was a bit sniffy about pale English rosé a few weeks ago. Just thought it was a style that didn’t really suit English grapes. Well, I am going to eat my words because the new vintage from Folc - apparently it’s an old English word meaning folk - is absolutely delicious. There’s lots of ripe red fruit, a creamy texture, and not a touch of grassines. It’s mainly made from pinot noir with some meunier, chardonnay, pinot gris and bacchus. The grapes were sourced from around southern England and made by Defined wines of Canterbury. The winemaker used to make Cloudy Bay and clearly knows what he’s going for. At around £16/17, you could pay a lot more for something nowhere this good.
Babylonstoren Mourvèdre Rosé 2023 (Novel Wines £17.49)
Made from mourvedre, the grape that goes into one of the best rosés in the world, Domaine Tempier Bandol, but this comes from South Africa, and it’s much cheaper. It’s the usual pale colour but doesn’t taste like it’s trying ape Provence. I thought it tasted of pink grapefruit and peach with a little bit of saline, it’s full bodied and packed with flavour. Great fun.
Tormaresca Calafuria 2022 (Hic £20)
And finally, it's a wine from Salento in the far South of Italy. This reminds me a little of how Rioja rosados used to taste before they went all pale and Provencal. It’s made from 100% negroamaro and tastes of bright red juicy strawberries, there's a real tang here with notes of bitter orange peel and even a whisper of tannin. Beautiful colour wine and the bottle looks very stylish too. This is what I’ll be drinking on my yacht by the Amalfi coast this summer.
All of these bottles were samples.
The Calafuria looks really excellent.