Uncorked
Rose tints Sparkling rose is often thought of as light and simple but it can be hefty and rich, and a great match with food. The wine gets its pretty-in-pink colour in one of two ways: by blending a dollop of red wine into white bubbly just before bottling or by putting red-grape skins in the juice for a few hours at the beginning of fermentation. It comes in hues ranging from pale salmon to candy floss to cranberry.
Domaine Carneros Cuvee de la Pompadour brut rose NV, California (right)
The delicacy of this wine attests to its joint-venture pedigree with famed champagne house Taittinger. Ethereal salmon-pink colour with pink glints. Restrained lemon biscuit aroma with dried orange peel and subtle hints of strawberry and red berry. Mouth-coating with a slightly warm finish. Serve properly chilled.
Available for HK$382 at California Grapes International (tel: 6473 2564)
Lucien Albrecht Brut Rose Cremant d'Alsace NV, France
Light salmon colour with orange glints. Ripe nectarine, pomegranate and citrus fruit accented with dried flowers. Fine texture, refreshing acidity and substantial length. Invigorating, fine bead (bubbles). Beware, this wine has a sweetness that makes it easy to denigrate, but don't. Instead, serve it with spicy chilli prawns.
Available for HK$178 at Watson's Wine Cellar (tel: 2606 8828)
Varichon & Clerc Pellin Rose Demi-Sec NV, France
Beautiful pale pink with vibrant salmon gleams. Hints of nectarine, peach, berry and tea leaf and biscuit. Savoury, acacia and candle-wax notes add to layered complexity. Piercing prickle, fine acidity and good length, but a puzzling wine with its waxy almost latex aroma hinting at flaws, yet its complexity draws one back to it.
Available for HK$105 at Ponti Wine Cellars (tel: 2810 1000)
Charles de Fere Reserve Rose Dry NV, France
Bright coral colour, lifted strawberry and mixed fruit salad, lacking definition. With its subdued palate, this is a 'nose wine', which makes it easy to match with delicate foods such as steamed fish. Round and full but with an unusual grace.
Available for HK$129 at Summergate Fine Wines (tel: 2545 4100)
Chandon brut rose NV, Yarra Valley, Australia
Pale pink with salmon glints. Subdued, low-intensity fruit. Crowd-pleasing but innocuous and lacking multi-dimensional layers. Structurally well put together with good balance and a sprightly bead but leaves you waiting for something to happen.
Available for HK$165 at Watson's Wine Cellar
Bird in Hand sparkling pinot noir 2008, Adelaide, Australia
Golden toned with hints of pink, it is barely recognisable as rose Boisterously red berry aromas that bring to mind raspberry-flavoured Emergen-C vitamin drink. Grapey, fruit-drop flavours, almost muscat-like palate, with sweetness. Round, thick and full with a lengthy, grapey finish. Soft prickle and gentle acidity. Best with spicy or full-flavoured dishes capable of standing up to its overt nature.
Available for HK$198 at Wine Cellar (tel: 2269 7838)
Debra Meiburg is a master of wine
