Winter Rosés & Summer Reds

Rosé has long been the summer wine par excellence, but is its crown being stolen by chilled reds and crisp Mediterranean whites? And is ice a cardinal sin? Elizabeth Gabay weighs in

“Rosés are for summer” was the sales mantra for many years. Rosé by the pool, on the beach, for picnics, rosé symbolises hot weather leisure. This works for sales when the summer is long or when we are on holiday. But what happens when the holiday is only two weeks long? Or what if the summer weather is bad?

For producers, “rosés are for summer” means variable sales and stock left over by the time the new vintage is ready the following spring. So marketing shifted to emphasise a longer season: from Easter in April to Thanksgiving in November. Rosé imagery during winter shifted from pale pink wine in an ice bucket to pale pink bottles chilling in the snow: from poolside to ski slope.

However, this marketing imagery is just one part of the story and does not even touch taste. Are these the same wines? While fresh, pretty pink rosé is a great alternative to white wine, what do red wine drinkers drink in summer? The answer is dark rosé – Bordeaux’s clairet, northern Spanish clarete, modern blouge… Wines with longer maceration, often a mix of red and white grapes. More intense red fruit and structure than most rosé, milder tannins than most reds.

Tom Fahey of The Terrace at Ventnor on the Isle of Wight, twice winner of Star Wine List’s best rosé wine list, said he discovered during wine tastings that many consumers actually were not enjoying big tannic wines, but wanted the intensity of red fruit, richness and even the oak ageing found in these winter rosés and summer reds. Low-tannin wines are great for summer as they adapt well to being chilled: chilled tannic wines reveal overly dominant tannins.

Climate change plays a significant role in this evolution of styles. Warmer temperatures mean riper grapes and bigger wines: more tannic, higher alcohol, more soupy. In an increasingly warm climate, these wines are less attractive, and, as the Bordelais recognise, their great reds were just not suitable for serving chilled. This inspired producers to promote styles suitable for summer, while still respecting Bordelais traditions. Clairet (which has, until recently, struggled against pale rosé wines) and claret are unique to the region.

Claret, known since medieval times and used as a generic name in the British wine trade for centuries (luncheon claret indicating a lighter wine suitable for midday drinking), has now been relaunched in 2026, promoted as a lighter summer red with more fruit than tannins and up to seven grams per litre residual sugar allowed to heighten the fruitiness, made with all the same traditional Bordeaux varieties, although Merlot, so far, is the most popular.

Similarly, producers in southern France have been battling the now regular heat waves which are not only producing bigger, alcoholic reds but also killing any desire to drink such wines. Again, turning to traditional wine styles but marketing them in a modern, innovative way, producers are pushing a new style called blouge, a half-white, half-red wine (Blanc+Rouge).

Winemakers in Provence, the southern Rhône and Tavel have long understood that the use of white grapes can contribute freshness and acidity to their rosés and add a small percentage to their red wines. Blouge takes it a step further, co-macerating and co-fermenting for much longer than is typical for rosés, although still shorter than for most reds. Shorter maceration than for reds allows for slightly less ripe grapes (as there is no risk of greenness from the skins or pips), and therefore lower alcohol. As one winemaker put it, “We have both the aromatic and tannic structure of a red wine and the freshness of a white wine”. Volumes are still tiny, but this is an increasingly exciting category.

The name blouge is also being used to describe light summer red wines made using carbonic maceration, very short maceration and cold fermentation to emphasise the fruitiness. These often use formerly-forgotten varieties that are today prized for their delicacy, lightness and low alcohol: Cinsault, Carignan, and Counoise especially.

Whites are following the same path. Across France, producers are selling out of white wines sooner than ever, especially the ones made with the same yeasts, techniques and styles as the rosés. The same freshness and precision that built rosé’s reputation over the last 30 years are now doing the same for whites, giving them a lighter, more immediate style that suits exactly the same summer moment.

All this talk of summer reds and lighter whites leads to the slightly heretical suggestion of putting ice cubes, or even (shudder) sparkling water, in a glass of wine to chill it down further. Swimming pool rosé, or “rosé piscine” – the term used for a simple rosé enjoyed poolside – is also used in France to designate a large glass of rosé filled to the brim with ice cubes, to be drunk cold and refreshing. The trouble with ice cubes is, however, that they melt and dilute the wine. For this reason, rosé destined for the pool often has a slightly higher sugar content to balance the dilution. Adding ice also marginally dilutes the level of alcohol. A number of producers indicate on the label that these wines are suitable for being served with ice. If there is any rosé leftover, add lemon juice, sugar and rosewater to taste, and freeze. Serve as a frosé in a pretty glass.

Another reason for adding ice has been the fact that the wine is generally not of higher quality (or expensive), and makes it a good way to enjoy budget-friendly wines. This makes this category particularly attractive to a younger market with a smaller budget, and the marketeers for Claret have described the wine as being “designed for the palates of the younger generations, with fruitiness, roundness, balance, light tannic structure and more or less gourmandise.”

But adding ice to red wine? Again, while we shudder at the thought, this is a tradition found in Iberia, with wine cocktails such as Tinto de Verano and Sangria, both based on red wine served with ice, fruit and spices. The most important thing to consider before adding ice to a red wine is its tannin level, as the ice will just emphasise this character. For many, adding ice to a red wine is just a step too far, and simply chilling in the fridge is enough. However, some varieties seem to lend themselves to being served chilled or iced. Gamay, Grenache, Zweigelt and Cinsault among the reds; Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Ugni Blanc among the whites, or even aromatic varieties such as Muscat.

Turning this upside down, port houses have been looking at how to extend their drinking window, from a wine largely consumed over the Christmas winter season, to all year. White port and tonic, pink port on ice and ruby port with a twist of orange and ice are a few. Their alcohol and strong, intense body allow them to be diluted with ease, but these follow the aperitif and cocktail market.

Back to the original question about serving these fresh, fruity wines all year. Central and Eastern Europe have always celebrated the new vintage on St Martin’s Day on 12 November, with juicy, soft, fruity reds that pair with the richness of roast goose. Beaujolais Nouveau, ever since 1985, is released on the third Thursday of November, which according to the Beaujolais ‘Nouvelle Generation’ website is perfect with a traditional platter called a mâchon with local charcuterie and cheeses. They also suggest it pairs well with an informal fish and chip dinner, and that its fruitiness works with chocolate brownies!

Other regions are increasingly permitting the new vintage to be released just before Christmas. Bordeaux has declared the release date for Claret to be 15 December after the vintage, again its soft richness being cited as a good pairing with rich winter stews and meat pies. It is worth remembering that fuller bodied darker rosés or fruitier summer reds can be served at 13°C (cool room temperature) during the winter months for those who do not want a big tannic red. In countries where fish is traditional during the Christmas holidays, winter rosés come into their own.

Should we be shocked and purist about adding ice to our wine? Yes, if the wine is a grand vin, but choosing the right wine and adding ice or chilling it appropriately is entirely acceptable. It’s worth thinking of this as a whole new category, where fuller rosés, lighter reds and fresher whites meet to create a genuinely different range of flavours. The biggest problem left for consumers is to identify the wine style from the label before purchase.

Elizabeth Gabay picks 7 wines for us to try. Read on…

LA PLANETES 2021, CHATEAU LA GORDONNE, AOP COTES DE PROVENCE
Bright cherry red with a summer red translucence. Wild bramble fruit and gorgeously silky smooth tannins that just glide down with far too much ease, yet… this is not a fruity quaffer. This is a perfect summer red with enough tannin to keep any red wine drinker happy, enough freshness and vibrant red fruit to offer charm – and the structure, some dark mineral stoniness is there to keep it on the straight and narrow path of a serious wine – which can be served either chilled or at room temperature depending on the time of day and the occasion.

LIVIUS 2019 GRAN RESERVA ROSADO, BODEGA ALVIA, RIOJA (SPAIN)
Dark cherry pink. Intense red fruit, concentrated and juicy. Cranberries, pomegranates, a touch of rose hips and blood orange. Smooth, crystalline, beautifully orderly on the palate – suave, velvety, generously fruitful and charming. Balanced acidity, invisible tannins, ripe fruit bursting from the seams. Whispers rather than shouts, and does so with absolute and utmost confidence. Stunning wine.

PIF NV, VIN DE FRANCE, DOMAINE TURENNE (PROVENCE)
Semi-translucent with remarkably ruby edges. Very, very zippy youthful black fruit on the nose – energetic, charming, crisp and electric. Very pretty spice and black fruit on the palate. Tannins are velvety but youthful, elegant and with an almost Burgundian wildness – and confidence. If you’re looking for this style of electric light red, look no further.

SEM IGUAL 2020, DO VINHO VERDE (PORTUGAL)
Not labelled as a rosé or as a red, the colour is a dark cherry red, not exactly pink. Wild raspberry and cherry fruit aromas. Gentle crunchy red berry fruit, long fresh acidity, blue floral minerality and some ripe lush soft red fruit masking the very delicate tannic structure. Long maceration gives it the impression of being a light summer red and perfectly illustrates why this division between colours is such a nonsense. This wine is a light summer red as far as the consumer is concerned, and rather lovely.

TANDEM 2023, CHATEAU PESQUIE, AOP VENTOUX
Semi-translucent ruby. Wonderfully mineral and floral on the nose. On the palate, pretty red fruit and floral notes. Lots of acidity. Crisp, mineral, glassy and crystalline. White blossom, crisp citrus and subtle stone fruit. Perfect wine for those looking for a red that is elegant, lacy, perfumed and delicate with minerality and freshness. Extremely modern and fashionable. Drink chilled or at room temperature.

LES GRENADINES 2025, DOMAINE D’ANSIGNAN, IGP COTES CATALANES 
Translucent cherry red! Oodles of pretty pink cherries and light cherry fruit. Wild strawberries, barely ripe raspberries. Warm, generous, with ever so slightly crunchy, youthful tannins really lifting this up. Absolutely dripping in fruit, but with the tannins and acidity to cut through them, this doesn’t feel like a tooty-fruity white zin sort of rosé – it’s gorgeous. Silky, confident, fruit-driven and textural. Absolutely invigoratingly charming. Perfect for a warm summer evening.

A LA MANO 2024, LES VIGNERONS DE LIRAC AND TAVEL, AOP TAVEL
Moderate cherry-ruby red. Floral, perfumed, and quite dark liquoricesque, dark fruit on the nose. Hedgerow fruit, damsons, a whisper of juniper. Fresh and remarkably mineral, almost angular acidity. Refreshing and thirst-quenching while still extremely concentrated and firm. Very much a light summer red rather than a winter rosé. It is fruit-driven, zippy, charming, rather than complex and oxidative. Rather exciting and a great new direction for Tavel.