Rosado pálido, says the label: pale rosé. And so it is, almost translucent, with a copper sheen. It's the middle one of the three Bobal wines from Vicente Gandía, a family house that has been making wine in the Valencia region since 1885. The same grape as the Blanco and the Negro, the same round bottle, a completely different time of day.

Character

The grapes are pressed gently and only the first half of the juice is kept. It then ferments slowly, three weeks at a low temperature, and rests on its lees for another three months. You can taste that patience: it's fresh, but it also has something soft and rounded on the palate that you don't expect from such a pale rosé.

Tasting notes

• Colour — very pale pink with copper glints.
• Nose — delicate, with rose, red fruit and grapefruit.
• Palate — supple and fresh, with a pleasant softness.

How I serve it

Cold, at 7 to 9 °C. On a hot day an ice bucket on the table is no luxury.

• With a paella, of course — Valencia is where it comes from.
• With prawn linguine, cherry tomatoes and a pinch of chilli.
• With grilled chicken with lemon and thyme.
• With a warm salad of roasted peppers and feta.

What to do with it

The Rosa is the bottle I open when I don't know what everyone wants to drink: nobody says no to it. Put it on the table with the Blanco and the Negro and you have a tasting of one grape in three colours. And that round bottle? It makes a lovely vase once dinner is over.

Origin & facts

• Grape — Bobal 100%
• Origin — DOP Utiel-Requena, Spain
• Alcohol — 12% vol
• Volume — 75 cl
• Winemaking — whole grapes pressed gently and straight away, keeping only half of the juice; four days of skin contact before fermentation, about three weeks of fermentation at 14 °C, then three months on the lees; no oak
• Producer — Vicente Gandía, Chiva (Valencia), winemakers since 1885
• Allergens — contains sulphites