A spectrum-spanning selection of indie-friendly rosés

Château La Mascaronne, Côtes de Provence, France 2020 (FMV)

The epitome of stylish pale Provence rosé, on the eye this is as light as they come; on the palate it glides with soft nutty creaminess and bright berry-cherry.

Pasquiers Grenache-Cinsault Rosé, Corbières, France 2022 (Boutinot)

A wine that takes the Provence pale method and applies it further west along the coast in a brilliantly crisp, refreshing and, crucially, good value rosé.

Ramón Bilbao Lalomba Rosado Finca Lalinde, Rioja, Spain 2021 (Enotria&Coe)

Ramón Bilbao has been at the vanguard of fine rosé production in Rioja, with this single-vineyard bottling a complex, seamless contemporary pale pink.

Feudi di San Gregorio Visione Irpinia Rosato, Campania, Italy 2021 (Hallgarten & Novum Wines)

A southern Italian answer to Provence, this seamless salmon-pink rosé is filled with zingy cherry and raspberry – a pastel rendition of the darkness of Aglianico.

Birichino Vin Gris, Santa Cruz, California 2020 (Bancroft)

An explicit homage to the wines of Provence, this Californian blend of very old-vine Grenache, Cinsault, Mourvèdre and Rolle is wonderfully, evocatively herbal.

Domaine de Montmillon Oeil de Pedrix, Neuchâtel, Switzerland 2020 (Alpine Wines)

A 100% Pinot Noir from the shores of Lake Neuchâtel, this pillow-soft, salmon-coloured Swiss wine is filled with gently insistent acidity and a delightful subtle herb-and-strawberry character.

Celler del Roure Les Prunes Blanc de Mando, Valencia, Spain 2019 (Alliance Wine)

Made from the local red grape Mando, and aged in amphora, Pablo Calatayud’s individualistic blanc de noir is made like a white wine but retains a delicate pink hue and lovely crisp redcurrant fruit.

Thymiopoulos Rosé de Xinomavro, Macedonia, Greece 2013 (Eclectic Wines)

Apostolos Thymiopoulos makes some seriously characterful rosé form Xinomavro, with this example, aged for four years in oak, a marvel of complex, chewy berry and tomato maturity.

Domaine Maby La Forcadière Tavel, France 2021 (Yapp Bros) ong-term rosé advocate and enthusiast Charles Bieler is a winemaker full of joy for the 2022 Provence vintage “I’d go as far as saying this 2022 Rosé is the most exciting vintage in recent memory,” he says.

A benchmark example of the dark, robust, spicy, textured but nonetheless refreshing foodfriendly delights of the Southern Rhône’s 100% pink appellation.

Bieler is talking about his Sabine AOP Coteaux d’Aix-enProvence. The wine is a blend of Grenache (32%), Syrah (23%) and Cinsault (17%), with smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Rolle, Grenache Blanc and Counoise in the mix. The company has been making new plantings and grafting over extensively in the past 10 years. This has given it a rich selection of varieties, which is an important element in Bieler’s ambition to develop and enhance the flavour profile of the wines.

2022 was warm and dry, giving the wine impressive concentration of flavour, with no loss of natural freshness. This is thanks to the fruit being sourced from the cooler, higher altitude vineyards that surround Aix-en-Provence. Here, because of the brisker night-time temperatures, the ripening period is that bit longer, which gives the grapes time to develop a broader flavour profile, while retaining natural acidity. On average, the fruit for Bieler’s rosé wines is harvested two weeks after the vineyards on the flatter Provençal plains.

Bieler believes that Provence sets the gold standard in rosé wine. He says: “Our goal is to find the delicate balance between floral, herbal, wild red fruit (not overly ripe), stone fruit and acidity. We don’t want singular big flavours; we want more nuance, energy, soul and personality.”

The winemaking is expertly and tactfully managed. Plots are vinified separately with yeast selection and lees treatments chosen with individuality in mind – the objective being that each parcel brings unique qualities and characteristics to the wine. Pre-fermentation, juice solids are circulated, to create greater depth and concentration. Nitrogen coverage is used to ensure that there’s no damaging exposure to oxygen, resulting in a brilliantly vivid rosé.

Sabine 2022 has aromas of peach, white cherry and wild raspberry, balanced by summer flowers, white tea and Provençal herbs. Both delicate and creamy on the palate, this rosé has terrific length, the raspberry, cherry, herbal, citrus and mineral notes lingering long and generously.

Bieler Père et Fils buys fruit from growers with whom it has been working collaboratively since 2005. The Bieler family’s love affair with Provence was sparked by Charles’s father, Philippe, who bought a property – Château Routas – in the Coteaux Varois in 1992. The focus was on Grenache-based red wines and rosé too, though for the children, Mira and Charles,