Glass in hand, laptop on knees...

The Juice has set up his spot on the roof terrace. It is from here that I shall report for the next few months, basking in the sun’s glorious rays. Because Summer is here, and not just for the moment, but maybe forever. This soupcon of hyperbole comes not from recent exposure to an Al Gore lecture (he is the Numero Uno Campaigner in the environmental field at the mo), but rather from the blind desire to see Summer stay literally forever...that is, until the end of time. Those cheery folks who say “oh but I love the seasons…blah blah blah” only say it because they have gorgeous, long, long, half-of-the-year summers. Hence their cheeriness. Sure the odd bit of winter is fairly crucial for growing grapes but just for a moment I want to bask in eternal sunshine with a spotless wine. And having managed to recently live through Aussie and American winters before coming back to our own morbid version I feel like Summer is something I remember only by watching old episodes of the ‘Wonder Years’. So bring it on…

'Foxy' is a good word. As I sit in my deckchair with my imaginary laptop, I reach for a cool, condensation-strewn glass of rose…foxy rose. It is no doubt the sexiest of Summer drinks so here are a couple I have been drinking recently that will bamboozle your friends with full-frontal freshness and elegance in abundance:

Laroche Rose, Vin de Pays d’Oc 2005
Strawberries and raspberries burst out of the glass in this classic example of contemporary southern French rose. Delightful ripe, round fruit coats the mouth with cherry and raspberry leading the charge. Plenty of get up and go here. If it were a band it would probably be the Scissor Sisters!

Chateau des Sarrins, Cotes de Provence 2005
Deliciously fresh and delicate with light red fruit and floral notes on the nose. Dry, yet with a medium-bodied richness that gives it incredible smoothness on the palate. Lots going on which points to a multi-faceted style offering more than your average rose. Lovely acid balance and clean satisfying finish. If it were an actor it would be Jonny Depp...oh yeah...

So go on, think pink. Forget that Wayne Rooney prayer mat, and instead focus your hopes and dreams on that big ball of fire and stuff in the sky which brings so much joy for so little time to so many Brits…occasionally