What makes a great rose? At the end of the day, it’s hard to go past that French flair!

Rose is more than just a summer quaffer, given the intensity, and indeed surprising weight, of the French expressions. If you're after something to go with your autumn and winter fare, you'll be looking for a bit of complexity; and don't mistake colour for weight – some of the most substantial roses can be as pale as they come.

The standout region remains Provence. The world's only region specializing in dry rose, Provence is strewn with vineyards from the Mediterranean coast to the foothills of the Alps, from Aix-en-Provence to Nice's famed Riviera. France holds the top position on the quality rosé market with 29% of the world's rose wine production. The AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protegee) designation is a guarantee of authenticity and production quality.

Cotes de Provence, Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence and Coteaux Varois en Provence constitute 96% of the AOP wines in the region. 91% of the wines produced by these three AOP are rose, and in France, rose has outsold white wine since 1994.Roses are versatile and, depending on the style, can be served with a wide selection of foods. As a general rule, lighter, drier rosés make excellent aperitifs and are a good accompaniment to grilled or fried fish.

Sweet styles are particularly well-suited to fruits such as strawberry and raspberry. The bigger-bodied rosés are very good with salads, poultry, ham and salmon. Two important things to remember about rose: serve it chilled and drink it young.