Not-quite-reds work with summer meals

We all know someone who has yet to send a text message, use Fast Lane, or engage in speed-dating. But is there anyone so completely out of touch he still doesn't know pink wine is the real deal?

These not-quite-red wines are the perfect accompaniment to warm-weather menus, indoors or out.

Real deal pink may be called rosé, rosado, or chiaretto depending on whether it's made in France, Spain, or Italy. Except in Champagne (a whole other story) these pale, dry beauties are never made by mixing red and white wines, but by draining off juice early in the fermentation of red grapes. The technique is ancient enough to have been mentioned in the earliest Roman viticultural manuals, where it was recommended as a means of concentrating what remained in the vat (thus making a richer, more sal able wine) while at the same time providing the landowner with a cheap, lightly alcoholic beverage that could be used to slake the thirst of slaves -- and later peasants -- year - round.

Pale wine, like dark bread, has never quite shed its association with hard labor and remains popular in working - class cafes all around the Mediterranean. But you'll find chilled carafes of the stuff being quaffed in tony watering spots all over the Cote d'Azur and Costa del Sol.

Persistently unfavorable exchange rates mean prices for European pinks are on the rise, but we still prefer them to their New World counterparts which are, to our palate, a trifle less adult. But how would we know? We've never even speed-dated. -- STEPHEN MEUSE

Lamura Grillo IGT Sicilia Rosé 2006. Cheery red cherry keynote; squeaky clean, straightforward, and refreshing sip with a hint of spritz. Around $11. At McHugh's Wine & Spirits, Watertown, 617-924-6040.

Domaine Houchart Cotes de Provence Rosé 2006. Superbly juicy and fresh with some lovely, perfumed watermelon-y fruit; a bit softer style. Around $10. At Wine Cellar of Silene, Waltham, 781-890-2121; Cambridge Wine & Spirits 617-864-7171.

Domaine Massamier La Mignarde "Cuvee des Oliviers" Vin de Pays des Coteaux de Peyriac Rosé 2006. Smells of ripe strawberries and loamy earth; some hefty fruit here, but bone dry and nicely balanced. A honey. Around $10. At Federal Wine & Spirits, Boston, 617-367-8605; Cambridge Wine & Spirits.

Chateau Pesquié Cotes du Ventoux "Terrasses" Rosé 2006. Classic Provencal character and proportion; near ideal balance of fruit, soil, and acids; a little gem. Around $12. At Harkey's Wine and Spirits, Millis, 508-376-8833; Marty's Fine Wine, Newton, 617-332-1230.

"Za Za" Campo de Borja Garnacha Rosé. Around $8. If you like your pinks a little more robust, this is your ticket: rich, ripe red - berry fruit but crisp and fully dry. Nice. At Wine and Cheese Cask, Somerville, 617-623-8656; Harkey's.

Stephen Meuse can be reached at onwine@comcast.net.