Wine box: In the pink

Often drunk in an overtly romantic gesture between lovers, pink fizz is held in great esteem - but for all the wrong reasons. If we were to sever the tie between ros? champagne and soppy emotional events, we'd end up drinking it for all the right reasons - it makes a delicious ap?ritif, for example. Some of the champagne houses make ros?s which simply brim with huge fruit flavours and leave standard non-vintage fizz in the shade. Try some of these and see what you think:

Mercier Brut Ros? (Asda, Wine Rack, Threshers, Bottoms Up, £17.49). Pink Mercier may not have the massive fruit flavours of pink Taittinger or Laurent Perrier, but it's much cheaper. It's slightly more honeyed and yeasty than most ros?s, yet still has plenty of strawberry and raspberry flavours. Perfect with any summer foods.

Sainsbury's Champagne Ros? Brut (£14.99). Maybe a little raw as yet, but this has hints of nice soft fruit and good acidity. Tuck it away under the stairs for a year and it should be very good indeed.

Wine of the week

Mini Mo?t Ros? (Selfridges, Tesco, Fenwick, £7.99 per 200ml bottle). A lot to pay for a tiny bottle but this ros? is far from ordinary and combines fresh, crisp and fruity aromas with a full biscuity, yet fresh palate. Perfect to drink with a straw on your way to a party.