Once strictly a summer holiday drink, rosé has become a year-round favourite for discerning drinkers. But the days of the ubiquitous £20 bottle of Whispering Angel may be numbered, as a new wave of affordable, stylish pink wines hits supermarket shelves.
Wine experts say Whispering Angel, the Cotes de Provence label owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH and adored by A-listers including Adele and the Beckhams, has been toppled from its throne. Some now call it 'naff' and 'passé'. In its place, a cool new breed of rosés – in sleek, Instagram-able bottles and rainbow hues – offer street cred and flavour at a fraction of the price.
Sales of pink wine at Waitrose are up 25 per cent on last year, while a new bottle from Marks & Spencer has sparked online frenzy. Sarah Rainey samples the best high-end supermarket offerings, from a unique rosé-orange hybrid from France to a Greek Moschofilero from Waitrose's Loved & Found range.
Standout bottles include the Amie rosé by London-based Will and Abbie Roden Sandbach, made from Grenache grapes in the south of France, and a Provencal rosé from M&S by winemaking couple Julie Rouffignac and Gérald Lafont, which experts have compared to Whispering Angel. Most are priced well under £20, with an Aldi bargain under £10 flying off the shelves.
