Great rosé wines with food

Don’t make the mistake of thinking rosé wines are only good as a lightweight aperitif. Below, Fiona Beckett picks some of her favourite premium rosé wines from a recent tasting and suggests which foods to match them with.

It’s surprisingly simple to match rosé wines with food due to their versatility, but what takes a rosé wine into the gastronomic league?

‘For me, it’s not the ability to pair with classic French dishes, though many do, but that it can be one of the best partners for a wide range of food,’ said Fiona Beckett in the newly released August issue of Decanter.

As a very general rule, lighter styles of rosé will tend to pair better with more delicate food, such fresh salads or charcuterie.

Fuller-bodied rosé wines, perhaps with riper fruit and more structure, are more likely to stand up to barbecued meats or foods with a bit of spice.

‘Rosés from the New World tend to be riper and sweeter than their European counterparts; and this is not necessarily an off-putting quality when they are paired with spicy food,’ said Beckett.

‘The final message, as with other wines, is that you will be amply rewarded in terms of character and complexity by paying a little more for your rosé.’

**Find below: Fiona Beckett’s top 10 premium rosé wines to pair with food from this Decanter tasting**

Click on the wines to see the full tasting note and stockist details for UK and US, where available. Fiona Beckett is Decanter’s chief restaurant critic and has her own blog, matchingfoodandwine.com