Ranging in colour from salmon to strawberry, ros?s are the perfect summer drink. Don't confuse them with blushes - which are also pink, but that's all they have in common. Blushes are deliberately sweet, while ros?s are dry and offer the aromas and flavours of red wine without the heaviness.
Pink wines are made from red grapes. All grapes, even the dark purple ones, have clear juice. To make red wine, the clear juice is allowed to rest with the dark skins for an extended period - as long as two months. The longer the juices stew with the skins, the deeper the colour.
When making ros? winemakers remove the dark skins from the juice a few days after crushing. The wine only absorbs a little colour and accrues small amounts of the astringent tannins and bitterness that result from prolonged contact with the skins.
Ros?s should be served chilled and are best enjoyed outdoors, accompanied by the scent of a gently smoking grill, fresh strawberries and a vase of summer roses. The most internationally acclaimed ros?s come from southern France and are made from grenache, a widely planted yet little acknowledged grape. Easy to cultivate, grenache produces light, fruity and savoury wines.
Tavel in France is one of the world's finest ros?districts. Delas Tavel La Comballe 2003 (HK$198 at Watson's Wine Cellar, tel: 2606 8828) is a classic grenache: dry, with fruity and citrus-peel flavours and an occasional whiff of wild herbs and flowers. Sip while flipping the pages of Peter Mayle's Provencal novel, French Lessons.
Both Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale in Australia produce grenache-based wines, so it is no surprise to discover a tasty 2011 ros?from the valley's Turkey Flat Vineyards (HK$158 at Watson's). It has a pale ruby colour, with a soft, silky palate of delicate raspberries and strawberries. It's perfect to drink with a simple grilled fish or mesclun salad topped with a poached egg and strips of crisp grilled pancetta.