A group of wine experts gathered this week to design a rosé wine,­ ­ specifically tailored to go with Indian food.

The event, which took place at Masala Zone restaurant in London, marked the first time a wine had been created by a panel of tasters with a particular purpose in mind, said the team.

Toby Hancock, from wine agency 10 International, said: "I believe this is such a unique and exciting new wine project that there will be immediate interest from consumers, particularly women who buy more rosé wine than men. And with the rosé category rising at such a phenomenal rate there is a need for new wines such as this to enter the market." Hancock will drive the sales initiative behind the project.

The 12 panellists, including Daily Mail wine writer Matthew Jukes, Co-op wine buyer Maria Gallup and Sarah Jane Evans from BBC Good Food Magazine, were asked to consider the overall style and intensity - as well as individual levels of acidity, residual sugar and alcohol - of 10 rosé wines matched with various spicy dishes.

Based on their findings, two top Portuguese winemakers, José Neiva and David Baverstock, will create an appropriate wine from the 2006 vintage, which will be ready to launch into the UK off-trade early next year.

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