Languorous summer picnics call for roses - light, simple wines with hints of red fruits and mostly slightly sweet.
A serious sparkling rose like the new Quartz Reef, on the other hand, can be seductively delicious to linger over at any time.
For more wines from this tasting check out the wine reviews on www.odt.co.nzAlthough wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective.
These are personal recommendations.
Jacobs Creek Sparkling Moscato Rose
$14.
Sweet, fruity with hints of berries, fresh and bubbly - just the thing to quaff on a summer's afternoon or evening, make into a jelly or pour over strawberries.
3 stars (out of 5)
Good value
$19.
Unusually for a rose, this is dry and taut.
It's mainly pinot noir with 15% each of syrah and malbec, which give it a bit of structure.
A good food wine.
3 stars (out of 5)
Average value
$21
A frivolous lightly sweet wine with hints of strawberry confection and a long, languorous finish.
3 stars (out of 5)
Average value
$22
Made from merlot, this has a light sweetness, a suggestion of red fruit and mineral and firmer texture than most of the pinot roses.
3 stars (out of 5)
Average value
$25
Fragrant with hints of sweet red berries and a suggestion of nuts, with a crisp finish.
3 stars (out of 5)
Average value
$35
New to the Quartz Reef stable of sparkling wines is this seductively delicious rose (89% pinot noir, 11% chardonnay).
Beautifully balanced with signature finesse and a long aftertaste.
4 stars (out of 5)
Average value
ANOTHER GLASS
8 Ranges Central Otago Pinot Rosé 2010
$23
three stars (out of five)average value VVLightly sweet and aromatic, with hints of herbs and savoury undertones.
3 stars (out of 5)
Average value
Weaver Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2010
$20
A new label from the Alexandra region, this is fragrant with hints of stewed apple and peach,broad in the mouth with a bright crisp finish.
3 stars (out of 5)
Average value
