Wine of the week: a jauntily refreshing rosé
2011 Feudi di San Gregorio, Ros’aura Irpinia Rosato, Campania, Italy (£18.50, Wine Shop at Harrods, 020-7893 8777).
I am a massive fan of the wines from this stunning estate, but I hadn’t previously fallen for one of their rosés until this summer. Masters of greco, falanghina and fiano, the whites from Feudi are heavenly, intriguing and enchanting, but the reds, made from the brutal, pagan aglianico grape have, in the past, bullied my palate remorselessly into submission.
These days Feudi makes a few gentle reds, to counterbalance their mighty Taurasi and other scary aglianicos and there is also this sensational rosé in the mix, too.
Believe it or not this wine is also a 100% aglianico – proof that this grape can indeed be positively elegant if it so wishes. With a crisp, clean, strawberry and mint leaf theme and a classy, but jauntily refreshing tang on the finish this is a beautiful wine which will work wonders on your palate.
Light enough to be drunk on its own, but able to step up to every single dish I can think of, this is a must buy for ultra-chic Europhiles with deep pockets who want to get the party started on the right footing.
• Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (www.matthewjukes.com).