The Charles Melton Rose of Virginia 2024 is a deeply coloured, bone-dry rosé drawn from grenache with shiraz and cabernet sauvignon grown in the Barossa and Eden Valley in South Australia. It has more fruit weight and grip than most pink wine, without losing its lift.

Musk, crushed strawberry and Turkish delight lead the aromatics, with red currant and a dusting of spice behind them. The palate follows through on raspberry and small red berries, hand-picked fruit given a cold soak before a long, cool ferment, which shows in the clarity and depth of flavour rather than any sweetness.

Dry, bright and firmer than the pale Provençal style, the Rose of Virginia carries real acid drive through the middle and finishes with a light savoury grip that keeps the fruit honest. Texture is generous but not heavy, and the finish is long and clean.

Pair it with a Barossa-style charcuterie board, salt-and-pepper squid, roast chicken with lemon, or spiced pork and prawn dumplings. It has enough presence to sit alongside grilled lamb skewers as well, which few rosés manage.

Drink the Charles Melton Rose of Virginia 2024 now and across the next two summers, served lightly chilled rather than ice cold so the grenache perfume can show itself.