Wines of the week: 10 bottles of rose from around the world worth drinking now

After sampling the pinks of France last week, Terry Kirby goes global, with grapes from Australia all the way back to England

Celebrating the glory of French rose wines in last week’s column might have given the impression that the only roses worth drinking are from, er, France... but not so.

France, of course, produces a vast amount of wine generally, as well as a lot of roses, but there are great pinks from other countries as well, with some unusual styles and unexpected grapes. And some are actually produced very close to home.

But first to the other side of the world and two exceptional roses for special occasions: the McLaren Vale of south Australia, where highly regarded winemaker Robert Oatley takes grenache – one of the staple grapes of those southern French wines – and gives it New World oomph in the Hancock and Hancock McLaren Vale Grenache Rose 2017 (£11.95 fieldandfawcett.co.uk; £14.75 flagshipwines.co.uk); a deep tangerine colour, with very prominent red-berry fruit aromas and flavours of pomegranates and cherries on the palate. It goes well with anything tomato based, like all these wines, but would be supreme with crustacea or a seafood rissotto.

Staying in Australia and moving to the boutique Eden Road winery in New South Wales, the Eden Road The Long Road Pinot Gris Rose 2017 (£24.00 winedirect.co.uk; £98.94 for minimum six bottles, strictlywine.co.uk), made from a grape not always associated with rose, is very pale and very dry, but with beguiling and long-lasting flavours of strawberries and orchard fruits, the benefits of a short amount of skin contact. A brilliant aperitif or one for the lobster.

Still on the other side of the world, but moving from the dinner table to perhaps one in the garden, The Ned Rose Waihopai River Marlborough, 2017 (£12.99 or £9.99 as part of mixed six-bottle purchase, majestic.co.uk) from a very reliable producer in the Marlborough region of New Zealand, is a mix of pinot noir and pinot gris to winning effect – bursting with creamy red-berry flavours, it’s one to drink very cold with all kinds of foods, from salads and goats cheese to summery fruit puddings.

Back in Europe, Austria is not always associated with rose wines, but the Hopler Rose Celestia Burgenland 2016 (£11.50 derventiowines.co.uk) is made by an excellent producer from the blaufrankisch grape, which produces succulent and spicy red wines, so it’s a vibrant, engaging rose, with intense red-fruit flavours. More please, Austria.

Other less obvious bits of Europe also produce unusual roses. In southern Italy, the primitivo grape delivers the intense flavours of red cherries and raspberries which underpin the Cantina San Marzano Tramari Rose di Primitivo 2018 (£10.81 corkingwines.co.uk; £11.95 winetrust100.co.uk); an award-winning, juicily refreshing rose, slightly less dry and austere than others.

None of these roses so far have conformed completely to the dominant Provencal style in France, but its influence is undeniable in the Montauto Staccione Rosato, Maremma 2018 (£17.95 davywine.co.uk), made from the sangiovese grape in the Maremma area of Tuscany, which ticks all the right boxes: the palest of pinks; delicate; very dry flavours of orange zest and green herbs; and a fashionable bottle. Again, this is a dinner-party bottle for smoked fish, tuna carpaccio and your finest crustacea.

Over in Spain, the same influences are felt even in mighty Rioja, where the grenache/garnacha is deployed to excellent effect in the Ramon Bilbao Rosado 2018 (£10.95 greatwesternwine.co.uk) instead of the more ubiquitous tempranillo, which tends to produce wines of a deeper, redder hue; here, watermelon, hints of cherry and pomegranate flavours are in order and a seafood paella should be on the table. The Bodegas Pedro Martinez Alesanco Rosado 2018 (£9.60 rfvintners.co.uk) is also very pale, but in a slighty different vein: garnacha with a touch of viura; vibrant citrus and orchard fruits, but very dry; a good, everyday easy-drinking rose.

So, back home. Once, as with sparkling wines, it was never contemplated that England could produce good rose wine – but, as I pointed out in my column on new English wines a couple of weeks back, many new and innovative wines are being produced and rose is very much on that agenda. The English Pink Lily Rose 2018 (£12.00 marksandspencer.com) is made for M&S by winemaker John Worontschak at Denbies vineyard in Surrey using mostly dornfelder grapes. It’s perhaps on the off-dry side, with lots of summer fruit flavours and some very delicate spice; an aperitif or with lighter salads and mezze or tapas dishes. (Look out also for white wines made by Worontschak.)

Over at Hush Heath in Kent the very stylish and unashamedly upmarket Balfour Brut Sparkling Rose has been one of the stories of the sparkling surge and that has now been joined by a really well made rose, made from two of the champagne grapes, pinot noir and chardonnay. The Hush Heath Estate Nannette’s English Rose 2018 (£18.95 etonvintners.com; £95.00 for case of six, thefinewinecompany.co.uk) is very pale, with elegant, precise flavours of strawberries and green herbs, suitable for all special occasions. Somehow, it shows how we can be very European and very English at the same time. And nothing wrong with that.