Panoramico Rioja rosado 2019

Who thinks about Rioja when it comes to rosé? Well maybe we should, certainly if this stylish example from Panoramico is anything to go by.

It has the same pale colour as Provence rosé but maybe a little more creaminess. According to its retailer Wanderlust’s website it’s Panorámico’s modern take on Clarete, a traditional Rioja style made by fermenting white and red grapes together. "Viura and garnacha, from 40- to 80-year-old vineyards planted at 750 m altitude, are vinified in a concrete egg and allowed to rest on the lees (dead yeast) for added complexity and texture" they explain.

In many ways it behaves more like a white wine than a red - there’s less fruit than in most Spanish rosés and a fresh acidity - surprising in an older vintage - that would make it a really good partner for seafood, even sushi.

I also love the two feisty women on the label who represent the two grapes - a counter-irritant to the girly presentation of so many rosés now. At £17.50 (from Wanderlust) it’s not cheap, admittedly but would be a cool bottle to take along to a summer supper or dinner party.

If that’s rather more than you want to pay for rosé try Cune’s 2020 Rioja rosado which also really good and selling in selected Co-ops currently for £8.50 or £9.66 from thedrinkshop.com. That would be a good wine to drink with tapas or a barbecue.

3 roses from Aldi to drink right now

At the first sign of spring we all think rosé but ironically, when it comes to cheaper bottles at least, now is not the best time to buy it.

That’s because the 2020 vintage from the northern hemisphere - countries like France, Spain and Italy - is now tasting a bit tired while the new 2021 vintage has only just been bottled and hasn’t quite settled down.

That can mean you get an aroma of acetone (the solvent that is used in nail varnish remover) which disappears after a few weeks in the bottle.

Not all wines exhibit it though and there are still some 2020s around that are drinking well so here are a couple from the recent Aldi tasting that represent particularly good value for money

Aldi Specially Selected Côtes de Gascogne rosé 2021 £6.99 12%

Slightly fruitier and a touch sweeter than your average Provence rosé but still what most of us would regard as dry this clever 7 grape blend of merlot, marselan, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, malbec, tannat and colombard would make for a lovely spring aperitif.

Winemaker’s Lot Côtes de Provence rosé 2020 13% £7.49

From the 2020 vintage rather than the latest 2021 this has had some time to settle. Made from grenache, syrah and cinsault it’s bone dry and quite savoury with a really nice creamy texture I can see going really well with shellfish or fish soup. (And a couple of quid cheaper than Aldi’s Specially Selected Provence rosé though that is good too)

Diora La Belle Fête Californian Pinot Noir rosé 2020 12% £9.99 (can’t find this online so may only be in store)

I normally run a mile from Californian rosé which tends to be far too sweet for me but this much drier rosé is really rather appealing and beautifully bottled which would make it a good buy for Mother’s Day. As well as pinot noir it includes a smidge of grenache, syrah, chardonnay and malbec. Drink it with a summery spread of cold meats and salads or maybe baked or poached salmon.

Off the shelf: Domaine Grangette La Saignée de Rose Piquepoul Noir 2012

As I mentioned in my Guardian column this week I’m slightly disenchanted with the Languedoc’s signature grape variety Picpoul which isn’t nearly the good value it once was but Grangette’s is one I rather like.

Even better is their more unusual Piquepoul Noir which the manager of La Taverne du Port, a wine shop and restaurant in Marseillan, urged us to try. It manages to pull off what Sauvignon rosés rarely achieve - being crisp, fruity and dry. It tastes like a Picpoul but has the structure of a dry rosé. It was terrifically good with a scratch picnic-style lunch of charcuterie and tomato salad yesterday.

I haven’t got my copy of Jancis Robinson et al’s excellent Wine Grapes to hand but according to her website Piquepoul Noir is a rare variant of the better known Piquepoul Blanc which can also be found in small quantities in Spain where it goes under the name Picapoll Negre.

Needless to say, thanks to the Chancellor, it costs a good deal more back home than the 6€ we paid for it at La Taverne du Port* - you’ll pay £10.25 a bottle for it at the only UK stockist I could find, Carte du Vin, but that’s still not a bad price for an interesting rosé.

* a shop I can strongly recommend if you’re looking for interesting wines in the area. In addition to local wines they also have a good selection from Burgundy and the Rhone - and an informal restaurant/wine bar with an interesting and well-priced selection of wines by the glass.

Berry Bros & Rudd Reserve Red

Only a merchant with a pedigree like Berry Bros & Rudd could consider an £8.45 bottle a ‘house wine’ but if your usual fare is classed growth claret I guess it is.

And they’ve managed to come up with three very appealing wines in their new ‘Reserve’ range. The wines come from their existing supplier, Jean-Luc Terrier who is based in the Limoux area of the Languedoc.

I particularly like the deliciously warm, juicy Rhone-ish red which is based on Merlot with a dash of Syrah and Grenache (the Syrah particularly comes through). It’s hard to think of a type of food with which it wouldn’t appeal but it would be especially good with roasts, grills, pies, sausages and robust pasta dishes.

The Reserve White, a blessed relief from pure Sauvignon, is based on the excellent chardonnay of the Limoux region given an intriguingly musky spin with some Sauvignon Blanc, Mauzac and Vermentino. I immediately thought 'fish pie' when I tasted it.

And the pale, salmon pink Reserve Rosé, mainly Cinsault and Syrah with a smattering of Grenache and Mourvèdre is refreshingly dry with far more 'bite' than the typical Provencal rosé. The ideal wine to drink with seared salmon or tuna.

I also approve of the 13% ABV of all the wines - enough to give them character without being over-alcoholic.

These are reliable, crowd-pleasing but far from bland wines that really show off what the Languedoc has to offer. Given that BBR has the royal warrant I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Queen didn’t have some in her cellar.

* Although all the wines, as I’ve mentioned, are £8.45 you pay only £7.60 if you buy an unsplit case of 12. Which is a bit of no-brainer.