COMING UP ROSÉ AT THE WINE SOCIETY

Would you be interested in tasting two of The Wine Society’s newly elected Wine Champions?

Rosé wines are a star of the show at this year’s Wine Champions competition. The Wine Society, which is a not-for-profit, mutually-run company owned by its members and the world’s oldest wine club, holds its rigorous Wine Champions every summer.

The Society boasts some of the most talented buyers in the business, who (in normal times), travel the globe to find the best value, most interesting wines to be bought at the best possible prices by members. The eight-strong team tasted over 700 wines, hailing from all over the world and ranging from £6.75 to about £50 a bottle.

The wines are all tasted blind. This is when each bottle is covered to hide its identity, so that the tasters judge the wine purely on its own merit, without knowing where it comes from, who the producer is, what the grape variety is and so on. This is the most equitable way to judge wines as it strips away any preconceptions about individual wines and puts them all on a level playing field.

From the 700 wines tasted, 124 Wine Champions were selected. The decision to make a wine a Champion doesn’t come lightly – this is when “very good” does not necessarily mean it makes the grade. The wine has to be exceptional and the decision has to be unanimous.

Rosé wines had a particularly high hit rate in the 2021 Wine Champions, with a record eight wines being selected. Rosé wine has long been soaring in popularity as wine lovers embrace it all year round – a rosé is not just for summer! Wine drinkers are exploring pinks from various different countries, and in a variety of hues, from the palest baby pink, to flamingo, to fuscia, to very nearly red. The colour is a general indicator of the style – the lighter the colour, the more delicate the wine, while the deeper pinks will have more pronounced flavours.

Would you be interested in tasting two of The Wine Society’s newly elected Wine Champions?

This generous Spanish rosado first struck us with its colour(the deepest and darkest in our entire rosé tasting) before its ripe raspberry-fruit perfume leapt out of the glass. Generous and fruity but not sweet, it’s an easy-drinking and excellent-value wine. 14% Ref SP16631 £6.95

Pink Portuguese prowess here, in the form of an accomplished, serious wine, built for food and delivering both pretty red fruit and a slightly salty savoury tang on the finish. An arrestingly assured rosé and fantastic value. 13% Ref PW8581 £9.95

The Wine Society is the world’s oldest cooperative wine retailer, a non-profit maximising organisation, owned by its members, which are its customers. to join The Wine Society (for a one-off payment of £40, £20 of which goes towards your first order)

o Beginner to aficionado: the range suits those who simply enjoy drinking wine, to those who wish to learn more, to those who are already highly knowledgeable.

o It’s easy: customer service is second to none. Informative, easy-to-navigate website and knowledgeable people on the end of the phone.

o Members before Profit: The Wine Society is a cooperative retailer, owned by its members, existing solely to sell interesting, great quality wine to its members at a fair price. This is why it offers such amazing value.

o There is no pressure to buy: absolutely no minimum purchase, no cold calls, no hard sell. This is NOT what The Wine Society is about.

o Best buyers: The Society is widely regarded as having one of the best buying teams in the industry. All eight buyers are experts in their fields – all committed to sourcing the best possible quality/price ratio wines from every corner of the wine-making world.

o Huge choice: 1,400 wines from all over the world on the list at any one time, spanning a wide price spectrum, although most wines are sold in the £6.50-10 category.

o Tastings & events: The Wine Society (in normal, non-pandemic times) holds over 200 tastings and events a year, all over the country, for its members. Currently, there is a programme packed full of virtual tastings and talks.

o Education/information: For anyone interested in developing their wine knowledge, there is a wealth of information on www.thewinesociety.com.

o Lifetime membership: membership lasts a lifetime and may even be bequeathed.

NB Samples are sent out at the discretion of The Wine Society.