Cheers!
Susy Atkins picks her bottles of the month, suggests visiting a vineyard near you and explains why we should be feeling in the pink this summer
The expert guide to...ROSÉ
If you thought pink wine is made by blending red and white, think again. The majority of rosés are created by the saignée (bleeding) method; red grapes are gently crushed, their skins left to soak with the clear juice until it’s stained exactly the right colour required (usually a few hours). The pink liquid is then run off and fermented just like a white wine, usually under cold temperatures in stainless steel vats. Rosé is a relatively delicate wine, bottled quickly after it’s made, to be enjoyed while those come-hither red-berry aromas and flavours are young, fresh and lively. Top tip, then: avoid old rosés, which have probably lost their bloom.