Wines of the week: Still and sparkling rose wines

Whether the weather behaves itself in mid-July or not, Terry Kirby suggests six roses that are great for drinking outside, as well as in...

Writing about the right wines to drink in the middle of a British summer, even just a day or so in advance is always risky, when a recommendation for some iced rose can look distinctly out of place in a sudden cool and showery spell. But, fingers crossed, here are some chilled pink wines, both still and sparkling, to sip in the garden this summer, but will still taste very fine if you need to stay indoors…

A good all-purpose, easy drinking rose, kept in the fridge door for instant refreshment after a long, hard day, is pretty much an essential item in my household. A good choice is the Angelito Rosado (£8, Marksandspencer.com) from Navarra in northern Spain, which is mostly Garnacha with some added Tempranillo. It is full of bright, tangy red fruit flavours and is fine on its own or to drink with tapas or mezze type dishes. Priced well enough to open as a midweek treat, Marks and Spencers also has the Heretat El Padruell Rose Cava (£8.50, Marksandspencer.com) zingy, fizzy raspberry and cherry notes; try it with tomato bread topped with Serrano ham, as they do in Cava country.

Staying in Spain, but moving up a price bracket, is a bottle clearly attempting to emulate Provence roses, where producers are all competing to showcase their up-market wines with glamorous and shapely bottles – of which more next week. The Lalomba Ramon Bilbao Rosada (£17.50, greatwesternwine.co.uk) made from Garnacha again with some Viura, has all the Provencal qualities – as well as a modish glass stopper – and then some: a very pale pink, precise, focused minerality, intense fruit flavours that linger and bone dry. Drink with lobster, prawns, crab or fish soups, Spanish and French.

If you prefer something fuller, fruitier and a touch less dry in your roses, then switch to the New World and try Chile’s vibrant and fruit packed Santa Digna Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2015/2016 (£7.99, robertsandspeight.co.uk; £8.19, rannochscott.co.uk) from the ultra reliable Torres stable; an excellent pizza and pasta wine.

Something else waiting to catch out journalists with early deadlines is making predictions about sporting achievements. It is tempting fate to even mention it, of course, but if we do see domestic triumph this weekend, whether it is in tennis, cricket, cycling or motor racing, we should celebrate with English pinks, once a fanciful notion but now increasingly successful. Try the subtle summer berry flavoured Chapel Down English Rose (£11.99, Waitrose.com) made largely from Pinot Noir grapes grown in Kent, it is very dry, with a bracing acidity and will match spicy or barbecued foods brilliantly. Or push the boat out with the sparkling version, Chapel Down Rose Brut NV (currently discounted at Waitrose.com from £24.99 to £18.49; Majestic.co.uk £19.99)

Drowning in rain and drowning our sorrows? Or sunshine and success? Who can tell – it is one of the pleasures of the British summer.