Think pink and you’ll have a rosé summer, says Susy Atkins

There’s a plethora of very pale pinks about this summer. Look along a row of rosés on the shop shelf and you’ll see a high number have barely any colour at all, they’re just tinged lightly with an orangey, fading sunset, poached salmon hue. They form such a contrast with the bright, dark cerise rosés. Indeed, there’s such a wide palette of pinks now, yet it wasn’t so long ago that all rosé looked pretty much the same.

The decision to make a pale or deeper rosé happens in the winery and lies with the time the red grape skins are left with the clear juice before the latter is run off and fermented.

Provence has always favoured the pale, bone-dry, peppery-citrus version of rosé. The region’s pink wines are widely considered to be sophisticated (although they’re pricey) and now plenty of other producers, worldwide, want to emulate them. If you go for a rosé that has this very subtle colour, you can safely bet it’s a Provence label, or tastes very similar to one.

The much darker rosés tend to come from the New World, and can be on the sweeter side. Inexpensive deep garnet rosés from California in particular often taste quite confected, as if the winemaker had turned to a tube of boiled sweets for inspiration. If you like them, try pairing them with fresh fruit rather than savoury food.

Spanish rosados can be quite bright in hue, too, but these tend to be drier and fresher tasting. In between are plenty with the classic, medium pink colour. Rosés from Bordeaux, the Loire (except rosé d’anjou, which is sweeter), eastern Europe and Italy provide dry styles and in terms of colour, the Goldilocks style for many – just right.

TORO LOCO ROSADO 2018

Utiel-Requena, Spain (11.5%, Aldi, £3.99)

A great value Spanish rosado, deeply coloured and juicy with redcurrants, cooked strawberries and ripe pears but dry on the finish. Note the relatively low alcohol – a perfect pink for a big, casual party.

TASTE THE DIFFERENCE COTES DE PROVENCE ROSÉ 2018

France (12.5%, Sainsbury’s, £9.75)

Fragile in its pale orange-pink colour but red berries and citrus peel on the flavour, and an ultra-dry finish. Made of grenache, syrah and cinsault, it’s a fine aperitif sipped with salted almonds and tapenade toasts.

RESERVE DU BOULAS ROSÉ 2018

Côtes du Rhône, France (13%, Marks & Spencer, £9.50)

A rather robust grenache-based pink, dry but ripe with rich strawberries and spicy red cherries. One that is best with food; try with cured meats including salami and chorizo. Its colour? Medium pink.