Eleven Minutes Well Spent

Yes, I know. More rosé. I promised myself I'd move on to something else this month, but then a pair of Italian pinks landed on my table and made a nonsense of that plan. If the wines keep being this good, I'm afraid the rosé run continues — and honestly, with the sun doing what it's been doing, I don't think anyone's complaining.

These two come from Pasqua, a Veronese producer I've long admired but whose rosés I'd somehow never tried until now. Consider that oversight corrected — emphatically.

The producer: a century of doing things differently

Pasqua has been making wine in Verona since 1925, which means the family celebrated its hundredth birthday last year. Plenty of producers reach a centenary by playing it safe; Pasqua has done the opposite. Still family-owned and now into its third generation — President Umberto Pasqua leads alongside his sons — the winery styles itself the 'House of the Unconventional', and it's not an idle slogan. This is a house that treats Veneto tradition as a launchpad rather than a museum, and it shows in everything from their Amarone to, as it turns out, their pink wines. I've loved what they do with reds for years; these rosés confirm the magic runs right through the range.

Why eleven minutes?

The name is the winemaking, distilled. Eleven minutes is precisely how long the pressed grape skins are in contact with the juice — just enough time to coax out that whisper of pale pink and a delicate thread of aroma, and not a second more. The grapes grow near the shores of Lake Garda, and there's something of that landscape in the glass: fresh, luminous, effortlessly elegant. Provence may dominate the pale rosé conversation, but this is Italy's answer, made with native grapes and a distinctly Italian sense of style.

Pasqua 11 Minutes Rosé Trevenezie IGT 2024 — £15, Harrods and Majestic

A blend of Corvina, Trebbiano, Syrah and Carménère — an unlikely quartet on paper that sings in the glass. Pour it and you get that barely-there blush of pink, then a nose of white peach, redcurrant and a scatter of spring blossom. On the palate it's crisp and mouth-watering, with a gentle strawberry-and-citrus core and a clean, saline snap on the finish that keeps you reaching back for the glass. Refreshing enough for the garden, but there's real substance underneath the prettiness — this is not a rosé to knock back without noticing.

Pair it with: summer salads, grilled prawns, burrata with good tomatoes, or a table full of antipasti. Equally happy as a standalone aperitif while the barbecue warms up.

PASQUA 11 Minutes Rosé 2024 (75cl) - Lake Garda, Italy | Harrods UK

Pasqua 11 Minutes Rose 2019 - Majestic Wine

Pasqua 'Y' by 11 Minutes Organic Rosé — £23, Majestic

The 11 Minutes idea taken up a gear. Organic, and partially fermented and aged in French oak, 'Y' is a rosé built for the dinner table rather than the deckchair. The extra time in barrel adds layers — think ripe red berries and citrus zest woven with white flowers, then a soft suggestion of vanilla and toast that gives the wine genuine weight and texture. It still finishes fresh, but this drinks more like a fine white with a rosy glow: structured, gastronomic and quietly impressive. If you've ever dismissed rosé as summer froth, this is the bottle that will change your mind.

Pair it with: grilled fish, roast chicken, charcuterie or richer seafood — anywhere you'd normally reach for a serious white. A Mediterranean sharing spread is its natural habitat.

Pasqua 'Y by 11 Minutes' Organic Rosé 2021/22, Veneto

The verdict

Two wines, one clever idea, and proof that pale pink doesn't have to mean lightweight. The 11 Minutes is your everyday-elegant pour at a very fair £15; the 'Y' is the one to open when the food deserves a co-star. Both are chilling in my fridge as I write this, and neither will survive the weekend. Salute.

Follow my wine adventures on Instagram @dmc_uncorked