Whisper it… you don’t have to be an incurable romantic to drink pink for Valentine’s… Paula Gracey on why Rosé deserves to be shown the love all year round
THE Christmas decorations weren’t even down when the Valentine’s Cards began to appear on the shelves – not to mention Cadbury Creme Eggs and I had a new Biscotti one so can’t complain too much.
Anyway, whether you buy into the saccharinely sickening forced romanticism (you can guess my opinion on St Valentine….) or you think random acts of love and thoughtfulness are more endearing, you won’t be able to escape the influx of pink and red.
I prefer to apply it to my wine and it gives us the perfect opportunity to drink some lovely Rosé wines when the sun isn’t splitting the trees in the height of summer. Rosé wines, like romantic gestures, should be enjoyed at any time of the year.
If you want something sustainable and organic, Purato Rosé (above) is a lovely Rosé from Italy, using 100% Nero D’Avola grapes in organic vineyards on hillside slopes in Trapani, a quality winemaking area north of Marsala and to the extreme west of the island of Sicily.
Conditions here are perfect for organic production and vine training is the traditional Spalliera system.
They pick the grapes for Purato Rosé in advance of the main Nero d’Avola harvest –about 7-10 days earlier in order to retain a higher level of acidity.
After de-stemming the grapes are very gently crushed with only minimum skin contact, taking the cap of skins away a short while after the grapes are put in the fermentation tanks.
Fermentation takes about three weeks at a controlled temperature of approximately 18°C.
This is a beautifully pale Rosé with lots of fresh red berry aromas and flavours. It is also very versatile and easy drinking, vivacious and super stylish, with a distinct minerality. Serve this pretty pink as an aperitif or with grilled fish, chicken and veggie dishes.
Upping the ante a tad to impress your significant other you could splash out on the world-renowned Whispering Angel (above) – a premium dry rosé wine from Château d’Esclans in Provence, France, famous for its crisp, citrusy, red berry flavours and elegant, silky texture, becoming a global ‘cult brand’ and benchmark for quality Provençal rosé, often enjoyed chilled with light cuisine or on its own.
It is made primarily form Grenache, Cinsault, Vermentino (Rolle), with Syrah and Tibouren also used. On the palate you get lots of mouthwatering juicy fruit flavours like grapefruit, citrus, and red berries and it has a clean fresh, crisp, dry, and slightly acidic finish.
A slightly less pricey variety of Whispering Angel, although by no means inferior, is the Palm/Beach by Whispering Angel – a blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah.
This is still an excellent everyday drinking Rosé. It was originally ‘The Palm by Whispering Angel’ but was renamed by Sacha Lichine, known as the King of Rosé —with his Château d’Esclans ownership and production. He decided to rename it ‘The Beach by Whispering Angel’ (below).
Whatever it is called, it is a fabulous Rosé and you can get some great offers on it at certain times of the year in Tesco, Sainsbury, Amazon and good independent stockists. Start up your own romance with Rosé and drink pink!
