Bandol rosé isn’t as hip as the pinks from the nearby Côtes de Provence appellation, but it can be every bit as good and often cheaper than celebrity-owned or endorsed brands. This pale, co-fermented cuvée of Grenache with 30% each of Mourvèdre and Cinsault from Philippe Barthès has lovely texture and weight, with a little more grip than many Provençal rosés, juicy watermelon and raspberry fruit and a faint nip of tannin. Boy, would I like to be drinking this in the south of France right now.
Wine Type: Rose
2018 Waitrose Blueprint Provence Rosé, Côtes de Provence
( £8.99, 12.5%, Waitrose )This very stylish pale rosé is great value at £8.99, but at the offer price of £6.74 until July 7th (as long as you buy six bottles from the overall Waitrose range), it’s the kind of thing that would have people queuing up on the Côte d’Azur if it were available there. Racy, refreshing and delicate, it’s less than half the price of many more famous names but over-delivers in the glass. Textured and well balanced, with raspberry and redcurrant flavours and a satisfying dry finish.
2015 Château Gassier, Le Pas du Moine, Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire, Provence
( £13.95, 13%, Great Western Wine )By the standards of some celebrity-endorsed or consumed Provençal rosés, this is positively great value. It’s a crisp, refreshing, bone dry pink with notes of red cherry and rosehip, tangy acidity and a long, palate-cleansing finish. Just the thing to quaff on the beach or in the garden this summer.
2015 Poggio Civetta, Tuscany
( £6.99, 12.5%, Majestic )If you’re looking for an easy drinking pink to quaff over the next few weeks, this pale rosé made from “typical Tuscan varieties” is a snip at under £7 (as long as you buy five other bottles at Majestic). There’s a spicy, wild herb-like note to the raspberry fruit that’s backed up by a nip of tannin.
2013 Chez Rocailleux Braucol Rosé, Côtes du Tarn, South West France
( £11.99, 12%, Red Squirrel Wines )Light, elegant and refreshing, this is a south-west French wine that wouldn’t look out of place in Provence, give or take a slightly green, grassy undertone that’s typical of the Braucol grape. Summer berries, tangy acidity and bone dry with a note of capsicum and a long, tapering finish.
2013 Le Grand Cros, L'Esprit de Provence, Côtes de Provence, Provence
( £11.49, 13.5%, Noel Young Wines )A pale coloured Provençal blend of Syrah and Grenache that’s just the thing for summer, this has more weight and concentration than many examples of an increasingly popular style. Raspberry fruit, bright acidity and a whiff of Mediterranean herbs all add to the sense of balance here.
2012 Cooperatiu agricola Gariguella, Puntils, Emporda, Empordà
( €4, 13.5% )Combining Tempranillo, Garnatxa and Merlot, this is a grassy, strawberry-scented red with refreshing acidity. It’s a little developed perhaps, but at €4 who’s complaining?
2012 Celler d’en Guilla, Vinya del Metge, Emporda, Empordà
( €8, 13% )Pale, Provence-style rosé in a stylish package, this brings the Côte d’Azur to the Costa Brava. A tangy, food friendly rosé with subtle, rosehip and raspberry fruit and good, underlying acidity. Very drinkable.
2012 Mas Romeu, Malesa Rosat, Emporda, Empordà
( €10, 12.5% )A pale-coloured rosado with marked acidity, slightly lacking in concentration with a touch of oxidation and a bitter finish. Needs more weight and fruit.
2012 Terra Remota, Caminito, Empordà
( €12, 13.5% )Blending Garnatxa and Syrah and aged for six months in oak, this is an ambitious rosado with good concentration and notes of red fruits and wild herbs. Subtle wild strawberry fruit, a nip of tannin and fresh acidity. Slightly pricey.
2012 Martí Fabra, Lladoner, Empordà, Empordà
( €5, 13% )Fresh, spicy, raspberry fruity rosado with good acidity and a little bit of residual sweetness. Rosehip and wild strawberry, with appealing freshness.
2012 Simply Garnacha Rosé, Campo de Borja
( £4.59 down to £3.44, 13.5%, Tesco )You don’t get much for less than £3.50 these days, but this Garnacha pink from Bodegas Borsao is very drinkable stuff: dry and pleasantly fruity with flavours of rosehip, cherry and strawberry and vibrant acidity, especially noteworthy from such a warm Spanish region. A chance of celebrate the end of a memorable summer in the UK.