Among the wide choice of styles available, the wines from France’s Côtes du Rhône region offer a dry structure combined with a warm a generous fruit character which is perfectly suited to the table.
From the reliable regional specialists Boutinot,’Les Cerisiers’ Côtes du Rhône rosé 2015 (£9 Highbury Vintners) employs traditional grape varieties Grenache Noir, Syrah and Cinsault, lightly pressed to give a soft and round wine with red berry fruit.
Similarly food-friendly is an organically cultivated gem from a family-run winery experienced in the production of Châteauneuf du Pape.
Pale pink in colour, Pavillon Du Château Beauchêne Côtes du Rhône rosé 2014 (£9.99 Taurus Wines) has a firm, dry and mineral style.
It displays a nice intensity of wild strawberry fruit enlivened by refreshing bitter notes and a ‘squeeze of lime’ acidity.
M. Chapoutier,’Belleruche’, Côtes du Rhône rosé, 2015 (£10.95 Hawkshead Wines) represents exceptional value.
Delicately coloured and perfumed, Belleruche is lush and smooth with a creamy mouthfeel.
With beautifully balanced fruit and acidity, it’s a sophisticated wine, charming and complex with notes of cherry, strawberry peach and pomegranate.
The Côtes du Rhône wine appellation offers a huge area to explore. More can be discovered at vins-rhone.com.