28 MAY 2005, Page 52

Q. As summer is nearly upon us, what are the

rules and regulations about serving rosé? I have to admit that this fragrant pink drink is one of my very favourites but I gather not everyone shares my enthusiasm.

B.H., London NW3

A. Why not take your cue from the great Sybille Bedford, whose memoirs, Quicksands, come out next month? Mrs Bedford, now 94 and widely acknowledged as our ‘prime chronicler of sensuous experience’, has ruled that rosé should be drunk only out of doors and in company.