Ranging in colour from salmon to strawberry, rose is the perfect summer drink. Don't confuse rose and blush. Blushes are pink, but the resemblance stops there. Blushes are deliberately sweet, whereas roses are dry and offer the aromas and flavours of red wine without the heaviness.
Pink wines are made from red grapes. All grapes, even dark purple ones, have clear-coloured 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 rose, winemakers whisk the juice away from the dark skins a few days after crushing. The wine absorbs only a small amount of colour and accrues little of the astringent tannins and bitterness that result from prolonged contact with the skins.
The most internationally acclaimed roses are 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 finest rose districts in the world. Delas Tavel La Comballe 2003 (Watson's, $198) is a classic grenache: dry, with fruity and citrus-peel flavours and an occasional whiff of wild herbs and flowers. Sip this wine while flipping the pages of Peter Mayle's Provencal novel, French Lessons.
Both the Barossa Valley and McClaren Vale in Australia, produce grenache-based wines, so it is no surprise to discover a tasty 2004 rose from Turkey Flat Vineyards, Barossa Valley (Watson's, $128). It has a pale ruby colour, with a soft, silky palate of delicate raspberries and strawberries. Open this bottle when serving a simple grilled fish or mesclun salad topped with a poached egg and strips of crisp grilled pancetta.
