Wine with Leslie: Three rosé wines that are perfect to enjoy on sunny summer days

Rosé has come a long way in the last decade but I don’t think it has peaked just yet

Our long awaited summer seems to have finally arrived so I’m turning to rosé once again. Rosé sales always take a dip if the sun doesn’t shine so here’s hoping it is still sunny when this appears.

Rosé has come a long way in the last decade but I don’t think it has peaked just yet. Celebrities are in on the game as I’m sure you have noticed from Sarah Jessica Parker and Kylie Minogue to Brad Pitt and John Legend. Chanel owns one (Domaine l’Ill in Provence), so does Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, and everyone seems to want in on the act.

This month the basketball superstar Tony Parker released a new rosé in a fancy cut glass bottle from his Château Laurent Estate which he bought in the Rhône in 2022 — expect it to be pricey.

Miraval and Whispering Angel can take some of the credit for popularising the style and thankfully both are solidly made wines, if perhaps a little expensive for what you get. If price is no object you can of course move up to Muse de Miraval which retails at around €120. Whispering Angel’s big brother Château d’Esclans have finer versions ranging from €47 to €128 — head to Brown Thomas for the full range.

I have three rosé to recommend this week that thankfully cost a little less than d’Esclans. All are new. ‘M’ de Minuty is now owned by LVMH but wisely they left the winemaking team in place.

Twenty years ago the idea of a prestige fashion house buying a rosé estate would have been laughed at but I actually think it makes perfect sense, the wines (and their bottles) look pretty in pictures and are perfect to serve at fashion shows — they also taste good with some grilled prawns on the barbecue for us regular folks.

From left: ‘M’ Minuty Rosé Limited Edition, Famille Fabre ‘L’Instant’ Rosé, and M&S Vinho Verde Rosé

M&S Vinho Verde Rosé, Portugal, €11.75

Marks & Spencer nationwide

This is fun, juicy, fruity, packed with character and with a light spritz. Made from Touriga Nacional and Espadeiro, and produced for M&S by family-owned winery Quinta das Arcas in the Vinho Verde region north of Porto.

Strawberry aromas with fruits hitting the palate first, followed by citrus and a tangy crisp finish. Serve well chilled.

Famille Fabre ‘L’Instant’ Rosé, Pays d’Oc, France, €16

Matson’s Grange, Youghal and Bandon, Matsons.ie

New and exclusive to Matson’s along with some other wines from this Languedoc estate. In a fashionably very pale style, this is almost a vin gris made from Cabernet, Pinot and Merlot.

Wild strawberry and perhaps red currant aromas, fruitier than expected with peach flavours, dry, tangy and fresh on the finish.

‘M’ Minuty Rosé Limited Edition, Côtes de Provence, France, €25-26

JJ O’Driscolls; Bradleys; Matsons; World Wide Wines; O’Briens; 64 Wines; Avoca; WhelehansWines.ie; WineOnline.ie

From a famed estate on the St Tropez peninsula and still run by the same family, but with LVMH holding a majority stake.

This is a limited label created by Henriette Arcelin, so is looking extra pretty. Floral red fruit aromas, juicy, textured, and crisp with a salty fresh finish.