Fashions in wine-drinking are no different from fashions in any other sphere. Quite simply our tastes change; what was once acceptable becomes unfashionable and sometimes even risible. Tanks-tops, elephant flares and shirts with absurdly long collars have their oenolgical equivalents. Sometimes it's simply that the general taste of society slowly changes to a different style, sometimes it's a new product that changes our tastes.

When it comes to wine the most obvious change has been a move towards red wines that are dry but full of fruity flavours. The technology to make wine like this is a fairly modern addition to the wine-makers' armoury. To make wine like this needs the modern technology that allows for complete control over the fermentation process, as well as sometimes being able to ferment the must anaerobically. This was not available to the wine makers of a century ago. When fruity, dry reds began to come onto the market, they instantly established themselves as a taste that people liked and many wine producers are reacting to this shift in tastes by making their new wines accordingly.

To put it another way, tastes often develop because of what's available. During the era of British colonial expansion wine was an unstable liquid that was prone to go off when shipped. Port and Madeira, being fortified by the addition of extra alcohol, were stable. Out of necessity these were the wines that were shipped around the globe and consequently people developed a taste for them, not so much from choice, but from the lack of it. And while these two drinks still have their adherents, they don't have the pervasiveness that once they had. Other choices have led to other tastes.

White wines, too, have shifted towards the dry end of the spectrum. If you want a relative perspective on how much they have shifted, a Champagne label gives you a good idea. 'Sec' means 'dry' in French, but any Champagne labelled 'sec' will seem sweet to the modern palate. Even 'brut' can be deemed sweet by some, so 'extra brut' fills the slot for the modern taste of dry. That's quite a shift from what was once considered to be 'dry'.

I find my palate in agreement with many of these changes. While I enjoy the taste of an aged great claret - that taste of faint oxidisation that comes from bottle age - on a daily basis I prefer the more immediate appeal of a fresh, modern red. But I'm puzzled by one shift - the shift away from rose. I mean specifically wine, as opposed to Champagne, where rose is still a fashionable choice. But as a summer drink, gently cooled and drunk on a lounger in the sunshine, it's hard to beat. Dry whites are increasingly designed for the table as an accompaniment to food, while roses are still made to be drunk alone. Often marginally more sweet than whites, it gives them a less austere character, which is perfect for a summer afternoon's sipping. And there's another plus; because they're not so fashionable they tend to be very competitively priced.

Wine of the Week

Domaine de Vignelaure Rose 1999

This is the budget rose from Vignelaure, who also make the award-winning 'La Source' rose. Made from a Cabernet Sauvignon/Shiraz blend it's very dry but has a pleasing fruity nose and flavours. Good value, too.

Available from Dunnes Stores at £4.99.