Here comes summer

With the promise of a good summer ahead now is the time to stock up with some rosé wines to accompany a sunny afternoon in the garden or a barbecue. Everyone drinks rosé wine now and it is the perfect wine to pour for a large group. All you need is a ready supply of ice to keep it cool in sunshine.

No longer restricted to strange-shaped bottles or sweetish concoctions from Portugal and the Loire, the world of rosé has opened up to include wines from just about everywhere.

One of the most significant changes has been the introduction of grape varieties that actually have some taste. Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah, Grenache and even Pinot Noir can be found on most supermarket shelves.

This means that each wine has a backbone of flavour, colour and taste and no longer relies on a slug of sugar to make it palatable. There has even been a shift in the criteria for making good rosé.

Now it is made for itself and not as by-product of red wine concentration. The result is a fine range of fruity, juicy, flavoursome rosés.

So with so many to choose from, how do you select the one that is good for your summer party?

I lined up around 30 different rosés from the High Street and supermarkets, and tasted them, in price categories and selected the best for flavour and style.

Rosé is not a wine to age, and in general the most recent vintages taste the best, so rattle those bottles on the shelves to get the freshest flavours.

Screwcaps are also a great idea, not only for ease and convenience, but they keep the fresh flavours in the bottle.

Under a Fiver

Casillero del Diablo Shiraz Rosé, Chile, Morrisons, on offer from £7.49 down to £4.99 until May 22. This is the perfect good-value barbecue wine for summer, but you will need to grab it before the price goes up. Vibrant with lively, juicy fruit, overlaid with a touch of spice it is full of flavour, and dry enough to cope with grilled sausages and salmon steaks.

Tesco Finest Nero d’Avola Rosé, Sicily, on offer from £6.99 to £4.99 until May 17. Another special offer which has done well in this category, so stock up some while the price is right. Its deep colour and intense cherry and strawberry fruit makes this the perfect partner for lightly spiced chicken drumsticks.

Campaneo Garnacha Rosado, Campo de Borja 2009, Asda on offer from £7.28 to £4. Ambitiously priced to begin with, this hits its comfort zone on offer with bright, raspberry fruit that has enough tannin to partner grilled meats and pasta.

£5 to £6.99

Laurent Miquel Vendanges Nocturne Cinsault Syrah 2010, Waitrose £5.99 until May 24. Grapes for this wine are picked in the cool of the night and pressed almost immediately to retain a light, delicate shade of pink, but the flavours are bigger than the colour suggests. There’s a hint of bubblegum on the nose then perfectly-balanced raspberry fruit with a long finish.

Chilean Rosé Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, Sainsbury, £5.99. Bursting with big cherry and cassis fruit and with a summer pudding finish, this is well on its way to becoming a red. Delicious and capable of standing up to almost any barbecued meat.

Tesco Finest Ryan Shiraz Rosé, Australia, on offer from £8.79 down to £6.36 until 17 May. Another special offer which manages to limbo into a lower price category and shine with quality. This is full of spice-dusted strawberry fruit that can be enjoyed on its own or with food.

Domaine de Sours Rosé 2009, Bordeaux, Sainsbury £6.99. This is the Sainsbury version of Ch de Sours which features in the higher priced category, but don’t let that put you off. This is sheer class, with soft Merlot fruit backed by a splash of aromatic Cabernet Franc. Team it with whole salmon, poached on the bone.

Domaine Mandeville Grenache Rosé 2010, Marks and Spencer £6.99. This wine wins its place in this list, not so much for the taste of the wine but for the innovative packaging. It looks just like a clear glass bottle but it is a clever triple layer plastic laminate which keeps the wine in excellent condition. Perfect for picnics, if you can cope with the slightly sweet taste of the wine. Try it with Thai-spiced curries.

£6.99 to £7.99

Burra Brook Rosé 2010, Australia, Marks and Spencer £7.49. Only 11.5 per cent alcohol in this Aussie rosé, which is comparatively low and it makes the wine really refreshing. Made from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese, it is stuffed full of ripe red berry and cherry fruit with a balanced, food-friendly structure.

Domaine Begude Pinot Rosé 2010, Pays d’Oc, Majestic £7.99. Made from Pinot grapes grown organically on a cool, windy site in Limoux, this is pretty close to a cheat’s Sancerre Rosé. Delicate, balanced and elegant, sip it as the sun goes down.

£8 plus

Ch de Sours 2010, Bordeaux Rosé, Bon Coeur Fine Wine (01765 688200) £119.40 a case. This wine is also available at Majestic at much the same price, but Bon Coeur have a direct line to the Chateau and manage to get it fresher and earlier than others. Truly delicious with elegant plums and cherry flavours, it has a soft Bordeaux structure supporting the fruit.

Les Ruette Sancerre Rosé 2009, Marks and Spencer, £12.99. Is it ever worth paying over a tenner for a rosé? In this case yes. Despite its delicately pale colour this wine has concentration poise and finesse. Redcurrant and strawberry fruit wrap themselves around the tastebuds with silky, smooth structure and there’s a long streak of minerality on the finish. Enjoy with grilled fish and shellfish.