In the Pink

If you're lucky enough to be enjoying lunch in the hillside Provençal village of Bonnieux you can't do better than to order a bottle of pale pink Château La Canorgue, made just outside the village. Though the days when rosé was scorned are gone, the good stuff tends not to travel, and there's still some not-so-good stuff around (Saddam Hussein was said to be fond of Mateus rosé, a vestige of the bad old days).

But now rosé is making a bid for the mainstream, as winemakers try to anticipate the next trend in a fickle market. Wineries like Château Sainte Marguerite from Côtes de Provence are producing crisp, fruity tipples — and more of them now being exported. The color of rosé generally comes from juice that has been left in contact with the grape skins; the wine is best enjoyed young.

First-timers should try the can't-go-wrong bottlings from the Château de Flaugergues in Languedoc. There's also Spanish rosado and Australia's wonderful Turkey Flat Rosé. Serve chilled and take no flak: wine snobs have no idea what they're missing.