Rosé wine is the ultimate summer wine! It looks gorgeous, it tastes delicious and goes really well with summer dishes. Then why don't more people drink rosé wine? Well, not knowing how to “handle” rosé wine is the main reason. Let us answer some of the questions you might have!

Are all rosé wines sweet or semi sweet?
No! Contrary to popular belief, most rosé wines are dry. The reason they “feel” sweet is because of their aromas and flavours that are reminiscent of red juicy fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, red plums, other fruit such as melon and peach and even flowers such as rose petals, jasmine and so on. However, this has nothing to do with sweetness.

Why are there so many shades of colour of rosé wines? 
Rosé wine is made from red grape varieties. After the reception of the grapes at the winery, following the harvest, the grapes are pressed and the juice, which is colourless, stays in contact with the skins that have all the colour and the aromatic elements, for some hours, from 2 to 24 in most cases. The more time the juice spends with the skins, the darker the colour of the wine and the more intense it is. Also some varieties are more dark coloured than others. So you can have “salmon” coloured rosé wines such as the ones from Provence in South France, ruby colour ones for instance many rosés from Cyprus, Greece, Spain and Italy and also dark coloured roses that look more like light reds!

Do rosé wines taste good with food?
Absolutely yes! Rosés are extremely food-friendly wines! Ruby coloured rosé wines go perfectly with Mediterranean cuisine as they are more intense, and have some tannins (that feeling of numbness in the mouth) so you can enjoy them with a variety of meze/tapas dishes such as halloumi cheese, various salads, grilled fish, pork and chicken kebab as well and dishes with light red sauces e.g. pasta with fresh tomatoes and of course seafood dishes e.g. prawn risotto, paella, octopus on the grill and so on.
Salmon coloured rosés are more “elegant” so they pair ideally with lighter flavours for example cheeses like goat cheese (anari, chevre, brie), lightly seared seafood such as scallops, prawns, calamari and even fruit.
Tip: The darker the rosé , the more intense the food flavours.

What shall I buy then?
Look for rosés from around the world. The varieties can be international such as Grenache, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Greek such as Moschofilero (which is a pink skinned variety), Agiorgitiko, Xinomavro and of course Cypriot ones such as Maratheftiko, Mavro, Lefkada. 

How shall I serve rosé wine?
In a bucket with ice and water with the temperature is around 8-10C. Be careful, you don’t want your wine to be too cold , as you will lose the aromas and flavours, or too warm as it will taste “flat”. And of course, we do not recommend adding ice cubes to your wine. If you really must, just add some frozen fruit like strawberries and berries!