What does your rosé say about you?

It’s peak pink drink time — and your blush brand of choice speaks volumes

By Kate Spicer

Provençal rosé rarely invites conversations about what time in the morning the grapes are picked, or even what grapes are used. All anyone wants to know is: what colour is it? Any shade of pale pink with a gemlike clarity will do. Basically, is it “nice rosé”?

Exports from Provence — pink makes up 90 per cent of the region’s wine output — have increased 500 per cent in 15 years, and the UK is one of the world’s biggest importers: 12 million bottles in 2022, second only to the US. Last month Waitrose revealed it is mainly drunk at a particular time too — apparently rosé sales soar by 150 per cent when the temperature hits 20 degrees.

Nice rosé is now the accessible luxury statement drink that helps you semaphore who you are while getting gently pissed in the sun. But what does your choice say about you?

Château d’Esclans Whispering Angel

The Manchester United of nice rosé (its cult stretches from Cheshire to Dubai), this was the first to convince men that rosé was manly, hence the nickname “brosé”. Blatant dupes abound, including Lidl’s Breath of Paradise and Asda’s Screaming Devil, while the Whispering Angel brand now includes The Beach for all-day drinking and the richer Rock Angel. (The estate’s premium cru, Garrus, is loved by Lady Beckham.) £22.50, sundaytimeswineclub.co.uk