Looking for pink wines this summer?...Look no further than Rioja

Pink wines are one of the joys of summer – and, increasingly, of autumn and spring as well. They’re light enough to be wonderfully refreshing, while having the weight to go with lots of food – Indian dishes are ideal, as are salads and all vegetable dishes, risottos, pasta…. But all pink wines are not equal. They’re actually quite tricky to make, and need their own character. Any winemaker who thinks of them as an easy compromise between red and white is going to produce something pretty disappointing.

The increasing popularity of pink wines means that all sorts of newcomers to pink are turning them out, and not always successfully. Some are too heavy, or too sweet; but if you want something refreshing you need balance and crispness. So go to a region that has been making pink wines for so long that it knows the pitfalls inside out. Rioja’s rosados are a joy, all strawberry fruit with perhaps a touch of smoke, a touch of cream; and a dry finish. They slip down as easily as ice-cream off a cornet, yet have the subtlety and complexity to satisfy adult palates.

They’re the perfect taste of summer; even in the rain!

What are the ones to go for? Try any of these:

Marqués de Cáceres Rioja Rosado 2006,
£6.99 (Oddbins, Majestic)

Faustino V Rosado 2006,
£6.99 (Wine Rack (from Autumn 2007), House of Fraser World of Food departments, www.drinkshop.co.uk, www.everywine.co.uk; Czerwicks Food and Wine, Brighouse, West Yorks; D Byrne, Clitheroe, Lancashire; Fenwick Newcastle; La Zouch Cellars, Ashby de la Zouch, Leics; Latin Spirits, East Preston, W. Sussex )

Gran Familia Rosé 2006,
£4.99 (Tesco)

Campo Viejo Rosé 2006,
£5.49 (Asda, Threshers, Sainsbury's, Waitrose)

Darien Rosado 2005,
£6.99 - £7.99 (Andrew Darwin Fine Wines, Kingston, Herefordshire; Bedales Wine Merchants, London SE1/E1; Cheerz Wine Company, Norwich; Dennhofer Wines, Newton, Northumberland; Pewsey Vale Wine Merchants, Marlborough, Wilts; Bertrand & Nicholas Wines, Bourne End, Bucks; Corks Out, Stockton Heath/Chester, Cheshire; Dunns Food & Drink, Blantyre, Glasgow; Mckinley Vintners, London; Morecambe Bay Wines; Vinopolis Majestic Store, London SE1; Pont de La Tour Wine Merchants, London SE1)

Navajas Rosado Crianza 2003,
£6.99 - £7.99 (Martinez Fine Wines, Ilkley, West Yorkshire; The Dorset Wine Company, Dorchester; Reserve Wines, Manchester; The Cellar, Clevedon; Map Wines, Bridgewater, Somerset; N D John Wine Merchants Ltd, Swansea; R & I Neish Ltd, Peterhead, Scotland; C.W. Wines, Worthing, W.Sussex; Markinch Wine Gallery, Fife; Peter Green Co, Edinburgh; Hedley Wright Wine Merchants, Bishops Stortford, York Beer & Wine Shop, Wattisfield Wines, Walsham-le-Willows, Suffolk, Fowey Wines, Fowey, Cornwall; The Sampler, London, N1; Direct Wine Imports-Guernsey; Bank House Wine, Axbridge, Somerset; Planet of the Grapes, London, WC1; Constantine Stores Ltd, Falmouth, Cornwall; Alexander Wines, Glasgow; Worth Brothers Wines, Lichfield, Staffs)