The thermometer has been nudging 30C this week in London. The question is what to drink to cool down? The answer is Mateus Rosé.
I first drank Mateus Rosé in 1973; although I didn’t make any tasting notes the cepage (Baga, Rufete , Tinta Baroca, Touriga Franca, grape varieties hitherto unknown to me) has been modified to suit a 21st century palate. It’s not tarts’ toothpaste any more.
“Mateus Rosé Original has an attractive raspberry pink hue. It has a refreshing acidity with an intense bouquet of red berries and delicate floral notes. On the palate, it is light and well balanced, with a soft effervescence and a hint of sweetness.” (Tesco)
It is cheap (£5.50 at Tesco), low alcohol (11%) and refreshing. If you find it a little too sweet, I don’t, cut it with a cheap sparkling wine for a perfect cold al fresco aperitif and/or add some soda water.
The iconic bottle, designed to evoke soldiers’ water bottles in the First World War, might embarrass you? If so it can be enrobed in a Le Creuset wine cooler. These orange sleeves can stretch to girdle wine, champagne and Mateus Rosé bottles. They aren’t cheap (£21) but they are stylish, versatile and will last for ever, I hope.
Meanwhile sloppiness on the BBC is burgeoning. Yesterday, on the Today programme on R4, Archie Norman was interviewed about the challenges M&S today faces supplying the Republic of Ireland and will face from October this year supplying Northern Ireland. He made his argument concisely and clearly. After the interview excerpts were used in news items and he was called the M&S boss. So sloppy; if M&S has a boss it is Chief Executive, Steve Rowe. Archie is the Chairman and the error was corrected by the end of the programme. Simon Jack (Business Editor, BBC News) wasn’t on duty yesterday – he wouldn’t have made that slip-up but he has the advantage of an Oxford education (St John’s). In the same programme I heard one BBC reporter call another “mate”: après ça, le déluge.