Perfect for a sunny day! (Mateus Rose)

Member Name: pmcds

Product:	Mateus Rose
Date:	01/05/09 (61 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great nose and taste, versatile

Disadvantages: Nothing, really

I don't know about you, but my wine decisions are often based on the weather. I have to be in the right frame of mind for a good rose, white or red, adn the sun will quite often provoke me into a glass or two of a good pink wine. Mateus Rose is a wine I distinctly remember from the very first time I ever worked in a bar. We sold it, and it was very popular. This was ab out 12 years ago.

Today, the distinctive, dumpy and rounded bottle still sells well, and is instantly recognisable on the shelf. It doesn't blend in so much with all of the other regular shaped wines, and is easily spotted. As such, when I was looking for a rose in my local Somerfield yesterday, this was the first one I migrated towards: familiarity indeed.

Opening the bottle, the faint aroma of fruit comes up straight away, slightly sweet but not overpowering and only a faint hint of it on the nose. The first glass you pour, if you do so straight away, will have a little fizz about it. After that, it calms down and behaves as a regular still rose would. Only the first hint seems to have a bit of fizz to it.

The shade falls squarely in the middle, if you ask me. It's not too laight or dark, adn the taste is very similar. It's not so crisp that it begs to be called dry, nor is it too full of fruit to err on the sweet side. Yes, it is fruity, but this is not overly exaggerated so as to become too sweet once tasted. It has an easily quaffable taste to it, and its 11% ABV (alcohol by volume) means that a couple of glasses do seem to have less effect on you than some stronger wines.

It's important to chill it, as per the recommendation, which tends to go for most rose wines as well. Once chilled, the taste is much nicer: a warm Mateus Rose trickling down your throat really doesn't bear much thinking about. I find that a glass of this straight out of the fridge on a nice Summer's day is a great way to relax, much more so than a lot of rose and white wines. For me, red is best served with a good cut of meat, or in the winter. I wouldn't choose it for quaffing in the sunshine, but white or rose fit this bill, with this particular wine seeming to be just the trick in my opinion. It falls just within the realms of a medium rose, perhaps some may find it slightly sweeter due to its fruity nature. Recommendations are to serve it with barbecues and salads amongst other things, hinting again at a summery feel to the drink.

I bought this bottle for £3.99. It's a 75cl bottle, so regular in terms of size, and at 11%, it's a good one for an afternoon. I found the price to be very good considering how versatile the wine is, and how much of a good initial fizz it gives before the flavours kick out the fizz and provide a smooth and quaffable wine to go perfectly with a summery Spring evening. Recommended!

Summary: A wonderfully versatile wine