French in name and style, our top rosé brings to mind a canvas from the Picasso Rose Period: a triumph of subtlety, lightness and clarity. Pale in the glass and gently fragrant, wisps of berry fruit provide dabs of colour to what is a delicate, linear structure. It finishes crisp and fresh. As a food match, the panel opted for an antipasto dish of tomato, mozzarella and fresh sweet basil.

Top wine profile

On course en corse

During a flying-winemaker assignment in Aléria on the island of Corsica eight years ago, Two Rivers owner-winemaker Dave Clouston explained to the locals the common New Zealand method of rosé production. They were scandalised at the dark red Kiwi version and came close to chasing him off the premises. “They showed me that rosé fruit needs to be picked early, to be treated like white wine,” he says. “Everything there is geared to achieving that pale salmon colour, vibrancy and purity.” Our top wine, Clouston’s first rosé under the Two Rivers label, is a tribute to his vintages and lessons learned on Corsica, which is why it’s called L’Ile de Beauté, a common name for the island. His rosé would work beautifully with salty foods, he says – “briny olives, anchovies or calamari”.