(2024) Ramón Bilbao's pink Rioja is a blend of 80% Garnacha and 20% Viura, coming from specially selected vineyards planted at between 550 and 770 metres altitude. Medium pale with a peachy hue, lots of confectionery and estery notes, hints of banana, orange and exotic fruit. In the mouth the wine is dry, quite pithy lemon fruit and acidity dominate at first, though it has a clean watermelon lightness and sour plum freshness. Quite fruity, but delicate.

(2023) This pink Rioja seems to get paler and paler each vintage. A blend of the red Garnacha (Grenache) and  white Viura, the bottle is also 40g lighter than previously, which is good for the planet in terms of shipping weights. It's open and attractive on the nose, with peach and a hint of mango, a lightly smoky/spicy nuance. In the mouth it has plenty of fruit sweetness, maybe just a touch residual sugar, but all about peach with a lemony core of acid giving good balance. Nicely done.

(2023) CVNE and their Cune brand are very well known for their high quality red Rioja wines. The rosado is 100% Tempranillo, made in an approximate Provençal style, perhaps with a touch more body and ripeness, but a pale colour and fresh character. Strawberry and cherry-lips confectionery notes lead the way, the palate fruity and peachy, but all the time the balance is good, perhaps the merest hint of sweetness balanced by acidity in the easy-drinking, but gastronomic finish. Watch the video for more information and food-matching ideas.

(2022) Ramon Bilbao has cracked the secret of making a commercially attractive Provence-style pink from Tempranillo, clearly including early picking with its 12.5% alcohol. A sweetie, rose-hip and cherry lips character leads on to a fruity and fresh palate, a touch of residual sugar (I think) adding to the easy-drinking, summer in the garden pleasure.

(2021) I think it's fair to say that rose Rioja would once have been much deeper in colour, but like so many others this follows the Provencal path, pale and peachy pink, a blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Tempranillo. There's a light yeastiness and creaminess over quite understated, lemony aromas. On the palate there is ripe, sweet fruit, as much about melon and citrus as red fruits, the 14% alcohol quite noticeable, but a bright finish a there is good fruit here.

(2020) A contemporary, pale-hued rosé from Rioja, this is 85% Garnacha (Grenache) with 15% of the white wine grape, Viura. There's a little bit of elderflower and passionfruit, presumably from the Viura which often exhibits those characters, onto the palate which is nicely concentrated with a bit of fruit skin grip and intensity, oranges and more of that passionfruit character, and keen citrus zest acidity, presumably early picking ensuring that raciness, with only 12.5% alcohol.

(2018) Full-fruited and attractively buxom for a rosé, this pale-ish but more deeply-coloured pink has loads of sweet, ripe berries on nose and palate, a big squirt of lemon juice acidity to freshen, and is enjoyable in an unpretentious and straightforward way.

(2016) Made from 100% Garnacha (Grenache), this has a fashionably pale peachy/salmon colour and pretty nose with dry red fruits, some floral notes and a cool watermelon character. Bone dry, it has more tight reducurranty fruit and a bit of texture, in a savoury, food friendly dry style.

(2015) 12.5% abv. From the top Rioja house of CVNE, a blend of the white Viura with colour coming from Tempranillo. Moderately deep in colour (by today's fashion) this has a touch of Tempranillo earth and smoke, but more of Viura's herby and lemony freshness, with pleasing red berry notes. The palate is very easy going, with a softness to this, fairly low key acidity, and charming fruit. A rosé of class, if not hugely distinctive.

(2015) Alc 12.5%. Quite a pale, Provençal-style colour that is not really traditional for a pink Rioja. Made from 100% Garnacha Tinto, it has a cool, peach and yellow plum fruitiness, quite delicate with a blossom lift. It's not hugely distinctive, but it is well-made and clearly successful in its Provence lookalike pitch, with savoury lemon acidity and a dry red fruit quality into a decent finish.