Rosé above £5.50
2016 Gold: 2 Silver: 9 Bronze: 8 Commended: 9
2015 Gold: 1 Silver: 7 Bronze: 10 Commended: 13
After last year’s rotten performance, Rosé did far better this year, probably because France was showing wines from a decent summer (2015) rather than the joyless 2014 vintage. The country took half the medals here, with the South putting in a pretty good display, and there was lots of positive feedback for Brand Provence. Somms might not, for the most part, care much about the wine either way, but the public clearly does, which means good margins for venues.
The only downside of the Provence revolution is the impact it’s had on the rest of the world. Everyone, it seems, is making pale pink, southern French-style rosé, sometimes at the expense of character and flavour. Though given how the consumers like oeil de perdrix, it would be a brave (possibly foolhardy) producer who went back to dayglo pink, no matter what our teams might think.
FROM THE TASTING TEAMS
‘Provence rosé is a brand. People come in and ask specifically for it. So I have to have one, it has to have a big enough structure to go with food, and it has to be pretty – the colour and the bottle.’ Sara Bacchiori, Chez Bruce
‘The fashionable nature of pale Provence rosé is having a negative effect on the winemaking styles of rosé. I’d like to see a little bit more concentration of fruit and a little less emphasis on a fashionable colour.’ Natasha Hughes MW, team leader
‘They were a lot thinner than I expected. The ones that I enjoyed were more textured, not so light, with more complexity of aroma.’ Ignacio Campos, Hawksmoor Covent Garden
‘They still feel like a by-product of making red wine. Why aren’t people taking it more seriously?’ Andrés Ituarte, Avenue Restaurant
‘Even in the winter it sells. Sales are steady – there is demand for good rosé all year round.’ Andrea Briccarello, team leader
“Sometimes we sell rosé out of season; it’s a brand in its own right, and we’re seeing more interest in magnums.” Kelvin McCabe, Yauatcha City
“It’s harder to find a good rosé than a good red or a good white.” Victor Amaro, Hotel du Vin Tunbridge
FOOTNOTE: Rosés under £5.50 can be entered into the House Rosé category.