Despagne Le Mythe d’Amphorie Rosé 2016 Bordeaux, France 75cl

Vignobles Despagne is a long-established family estate in the Entre-deux-Mers heart of Bordeaux, known for making sound, honest wines across a range of colours and styles. With generations of experience behind them, the family have a reputation for value and reliability, and this rosé sits among their more characterful cuvées.

Bordeaux is far better known for red and white than for pink, yet its Merlot and Cabernet grapes can make dry, gently structured rosés with more body than many. This is a wine to drink for refreshment, made in a pale, dry style rather than a sweet one, and it wears its Bordeaux origins lightly.

The 2016 vintage was a strong one in Bordeaux. As a rosé with a little age now, expect it to show more mellowness than a young pink, trading some primary zip for a rounder, savoury feel, so it is best enjoyed sooner rather than kept.

Look for a pale salmon colour and quiet notes of strawberry and red currant, with a dry, savoury finish. Serve it well chilled, but not so cold that the flavours are numbed. It suits summer salads, charcuterie, grilled white fish or simply a sunny afternoon in the garden.

If Provence rosé is your default, a dry Bordeaux pink makes an easy change of scene at the table. An unfussy, versatile bottle for casual meals and warm-weather drinking, and an affordable way to try rosé from an unexpected corner of France. Keep a bottle chilled and ready through the summer, for the moment a friend drops by unannounced.