Our July tastings were of rosé, a part of the international wine market that is in growth, thanks to the efforts of talented (and commercially savvy) winemakers initially in Provence and now world wide.
Not all rosé is pale pink, but we did kick off with some paler examples, including a comparison of a archetypal Provencal wine (Miraval) with a significantly cheaper wine, made from the same grape varieties, in the same way, from the Languedoc. While the Miraval offered greater complexity and was more rounded on the mouth, we struggled to say it was twice as good, which its price point suggested it should have been.
A trip down memory lane took us to Sancerre, deeper coloured, and a more structured wine, with nice berry fruit and a hint of tannin, and then we found ourselves in extreme designer land, with a Dolce & Gabbana branded wine from Etna, made by Donnafugata. This was the most expensive wine of the evening (by some margin), and while it was very good, it was again a struggle to say it would be our first choice wine to spend £42 on!
A rosato from the great Barbaresco producer Bruno Rocca gave most of us a first chance to sample a rosé made from Nebbiolo, and we finished the evening with two wines of greater colour, flavour and texture intensity. The Barossa Valley ‘Rose of Virginia’ was particularly deeply coloured, while the Domaine de la Bégude Bandol was definitely a return to safe territory for many in the room – a super wine to end on.
At Teddington Hannah served us lasagne and a mountain of cheese, at Richmond the Britannia served a mozarella and tomato salad and cod fishcakes with chips (and a very exciting moment with the ceiling fans).
For details of the wines and pricing please go to our Wines we have tasted page.
