Italy: Taste The Difference Pinot Noir Extra Dry Sparkling Rosé - STAR BUY
A great value quaffer at its current knockdown price. Popular with our tasters for its fresh vibrant taste, crispness, dry palate with summery fruits and a deliciously creamy finish. Not as dry as the label might suggest.
£6.75, reduced from £10, until 15 March at Sainsbury’s
France: L’extra Par Langlois Cremant Rosé Brut
Cremant de Loire is France’s most popular cremant style, made using the same method as champagne with local Loire grapes. This really is very dry with crunchy red fruits. Made by leading Cremant de Loire producer, Langlois Chateau.
£8.99/£12.99 Majestic Wine
France: Roche Lacour Rosé Brut 2013 - STAR BUY
Very popular with our tasters. This three grape Cremant de Limoux blend is made using the same method as champagne. A delicious, juicy, vibrant salmon-pink fizz. Our tasters remarked on its unusual ‘chalky’ and ‘minerally’ notes.
£13.49 at Laithwaites, www.laithwaites.co.uk
Spain: Juve Y Camps Cava Rosé Brut 2010
A hidden gem from Penedes. This family owned cava producer has been making fizz in San Sadurnui d’Anoia near Barcelona since the 1920s. Creamy and intense, it’s one of the best rosé cavas I have tasted recently.
£14.50, reduced to £11.30 each for 6, Exel Wines, Perth
Tasmania: Jansz Premium Rosé Brut NV
The wild, unforgiving cold climate of Tasmania is the source of Australia’s best fizz grapes. Made by Yalumba in Tasmania’s Tamar Valley, this is sleek, elegant and well-made. This has a yeasty biscuit nose, rich red fruits, and distinctive long length from its pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier blend. Creamy, nutty, silky, fruit-driven with a sleek, acid core, it was very popular with our tasters.
£17, Oddbins
Italy: Italia Collezione Spumante Rosé Brut NV - STAR BUY
Close your eyes and you could be drinking prosecco. That’s because this spumante rosé is made mainly from white glera (the same grape used to make prosecco). Very pale pink with a delicate mousse, gentle alcohol and some sweetness on the palate.
£11.99, Waitrose
Argentina: Chandon Rosé Brut NV
Moet & Chandon has been making fizz in Argentina since 1959. This current rosé from vineyards at differing altitude levels is a craftily-made, soft, delicate fizz, with a yeasty nose, and is rich and vibrant.
£12.98 each for 6 or £19.49 bt, Majestic Wine
France: Sainsbury’s Champagne Brut Rosé NV
This topped our charts for the best supermarket champagne rosé, scoring highly for its pretty pink colour, toasty aromas, silky, creamy palate with crisp, crunchy summer fruits and nutty undertone.
£21.99, Sainsbury’s
France: Le Mesnil Sublime Grand Cru Rosé NV
Le Mesnil is an excellent small co-operative based in the village of the same name in Champagne’s Côtes de Blanc, offering reasonably affordable cuvées in comparison to the big name brands. This has a lovely elegant finesse, racy acidity, gentle mousse and lingering length.
£21.55-£34, Berry Bros & Rudd, www.bbr.com; www.uncorked.co.uk; WoodWinters,
Edinburgh and Bridge of Allan
France: Marguet Grand Cru Brut Rosé NV
Champagne Marguet is still my current favourite small grower, for its fabulous value-for-money rosé. A touch of oak gives depth and richness – it’s hard to beat if you want champagne on the rosé fizz label (and not a supermarket cuvée). It’s organic to boot.
£26.50, The Wine Society, www.thewinesociety.com
England: Balfour Brut Rosé Vintage 2011
Anthony Balfour of Hush Heath first created this pink fizz to satisfy his wife’s penchant for sparkling rosé, not realising quite how popular it would be with everyone else... It is very pale, clean and fresh with a good depth of fruit, dry, and with a long finish.
£35.99, Waitrose; www.hushheath.com
England: Wiston Brut Rosé Vintage 2011
The finest pink made on our shores. Wiston’s talented winemaker, Dermot Surgue, has crafted a deliciously creamy, soft textured fizz with toasty undertones and a slick smooth mousse. A great quality fizz from pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier vines planted on
the Goring’s 16 hectare vineyard near Pulborough in Sussex. ■
£35.95, Corney & Barrow, www.corneyandbarrow.com;
Swig, www.swig.co.uk; Noel Young Wines; www.wistonestate.com
• Join Rose’s Chocolate & Wine Masterclass at 28 Queen Street, Edinburgh on Friday 20 May, £40, rosemurraybrown.com
