2007 Domaine Sorin Bandol rose

To me, summer means rose, and most often it means a rose from the seaside town of Bandol, 10 miles west of Toulon in southern France. This lovely example from Domaine Sorin has a fragrance like wild strawberries and a delicate, pale rose color. Made from a blend of 60% Mourvedre with 30% Grenache and 10% Cinsault, the 2007 Bandol rose is graceful and refreshing and has a lovely, finespun finish.

Chilled, it makes a superb aperitif -- keep a bottle in the fridge for unexpected guests. Serve it with a plate of dark olives or thin toasts spread with tapenade, the olive paste of Provence. It’s also perfect with a plate of antipasti, salads, pastas and vegetable soup swirled with pistou, the Provencal version of pesto.

Keep an eye out, too, for their less expensive Cotes de Provence rose in the $12 to $13 range, available at many more stores than the Bandol rose.

-- S. Irene Virbila

Quick swirl

Region: Provence

Price: About $20

Style: Light and fragrant

Food it goes with: Marinated olives, tapenade, antipasti, soupe au pistou, salads and pasta

Where you find it: Du Vin Wine & Spirits in West Hollywood, (310) 855-1161, www.du-vin.com, and Wine Exchange in Orange, (714) 974-1454 and (800) 76WINEX, www.winex.com