Rosé

DRINK UP

In our regular drinks column, Kevin Fullerton tries a few tasty beverages and lets you know exactly what he thinks of them. This month we need Kevin to talk about . . . rosé wine

As we emerge from the seasonal affective nights of winter into the crisp sunshine of spring, now’s the time to lounge outside enjoying a large glass of rosé wine. To me, most rosé tends to be the stuffy fence-sitter of the wine world, never packing the heavy punch of a red while eschewing the sharpness of a quality white. We’re on a quest, then, for the rosé Holy Grail: a bottle with complexity that retains this tipple’s easygoing charms.

But every quest has its setbacks, and the Italian Blush (Tesco, £4.29), our supermarket pick of the month, is exactly that. This is a wine of the ‘hold your nose before you drink’ variety, simultaneously tasting of nothing and something rather unappetising. This is the rosé equivalent of diluting juice, possessing an unpleasant smell and an aftertaste like something died at the back of your throat. Expect to see a teenager swigging this on a park bench near you.

Onto a classier bottle, the Pure Vallée Le Rosé 2020 (Oddbins, £9.50), produced in the Loire Valley, hits the sweet spot that rosé is known for. You’ll happily sup this without much thought, making it ideal for wiling away a long afternoon without drawing attention to itself. Its taste is indistinct but inoffensive, and really that’s the point. This is a wine that uses the adjective ‘nice’ on the bottle’s blurb. If that’s its meagre aim, then it more than achieves it.

Despite killing a few brain cells, nothing has blown my mind in this month’s selection. But the RoséfineMéditerranée 2019 (Oddbins, £11), produced by the Marrenon co-operative with grapes selected from Luberon and Ventoux, at least caused a minor pleasure haemorrhage. It’s sweet, perhaps to a fault, and has a floral smell that draws you into its refreshing taste like a summertime hug. While verging on soft drink-like in its simplicity, there’s enough subtlety embedded in every sip to make this a cuvée worth tracking down. We’ll be buying it again when the weather gets warmer.

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COMEDIAN JAY LAFFERTY

Wandering along Lothian Road late one night during 2021’s decidedly muted Edinburgh Fringe, I stumbled upon the bar of my dreams. NQ64 is a neon-drenched wonderland, containing the arcade games of my misspent youth. The experience of returning to those pixelated classics is further enhanced by a gamer-themed cocktail list. My go-to is the Kirby, a pink gin-based sherbet complete with flashing plastic ice cube, perfect for sipping while defeating Pac-Man ghosties. It might be rage against my age but the joy of bouncing between Mortal Kombat and MarioKart can only be beaten by getting my name on the leader board. n Jay Lafferty hosts Bona Fide, The Stand, Edinburgh, Sunday 3 April; The Stand, Glasgow, Thursday 21 April.