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During warm summer days, I take the opportunity to enjoy one of my favourite summer wines -- rosé wine.

As you all know, I am a big believer in different wines for different occasions or seasons. Unfortunately, this type of product does not always get the respect it deserves from wine lovers.

Many wine drinkers assume all the pink wines are sweet. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Many of the very good rosés are full of flavour and offer a great balance between fruit and acidity.

Wine enjoyment is full of perceptions, including the idea screw caps are only used in "cheap" wine, white wines and sweet wines are for beginners and that serious wine consumers only drink red wine.

Unfortunately, these perceptions affect the consumption of some beautiful wines. There are so many fabulous wines out there to try. Do not let perceptions stop you from exploring new tastes.

In the summer, we spend a lot of time with friends sharing great meals outside. The barbecue and back deck are both in overdrive and we find ourselves outdoors camping, at the cottage or at the beach.

I believe that the summer is an ideal time to try and experiment with new tastes and culinary adventures. So, for those of you that drink wine on regular basis, I recommend you leave your prejudices aside and give rosé wine a try. You could be pleasantly surprised.

Many tend to remember wines like the infamous Mateus or the sweeter White Zinfandel. Mateus is a rosé wine from Portugal that has been around for many years. White is a sweet California wine that was extremely popular in the 1980s.

Neither of these wines are considered true rosé wines. They are really blush wines. Both are pale in colour, have flavours of strawberries and raspberries and are light sweeter wines. I don't mind drinking Mateus or White Zinfandel once in a while, but true rosé (dry) wine is more my style.

Rosé wines are dry, have a deep colour, are complex and some can age for a couple of years. They tend to have solid acidity with a nice bouquet and fruit flavours. The dryer versions usually come from Spain, France and Italy. But now many countries, including Canada and South Africa, produce various versions of quality rosé wines.

For red wine lovers who do not necessarily enjoy white wines, it is important to realize rosé wines are made from red grapes. The colour of a wine comes from the skin of the grapes. Rosé wines are light in colour because the juice spends less time in contact with the skins of the grape. These types of wine are the perfect transition wine for white wine drinkers and people who are just learning an appreciation of red wines. For the red wine lover who does no care for whites, rosé offers a great alternative. It has the red wine flavours, combined with the refreshing qualities of white wines.

Rosé wines and rosé sparkling wines are great aperitif or sipping wines. They are perfect wines for the summer season.

Give rosé wine a try you will be pleasantly surprised.

* Robert Noel is Alcool N.B. Liquor's sommelier. His column, World of Wine, appears each Saturday in Life & Times.