Few wines are as loved and as underestimated as rosé. It sells by the poolful every summer, yet it is rarely taken as seriously as the reds and whites it sits between, often filed away as an easy, uncomplicated pleasure and little more. That reputation does it a disservice. Look closely and rosé turns out to be one of the most varied and rewarding categories in wine, capable of far more than a pale glass on a warm afternoon.

Part of the misunderstanding comes down to how little most drinkers know about how rosé is made. Most still rosé is not, as some may assume, red and white wine blended together. In the EU, the practice is generally restricted in still-wine production, although it is permitted for certain sparkling wines – most famously rosé Champagne. Instead, most rosé takes its colour from brief contact between clear juice and dark grape skins, and it is the length of that contact that decides the style.