Rosé rules — no ifs, ands, or buts. You’ve most definitely seen dudes drinking rosé, with the pink wine sold in forties. Chances are, you’ve heard the term “brosé” at least once or twice in your life. Heck, people are cooking with rosé. Can you believe that? It’s a sweet wine worth talking about.
All this talk about the drink prompted us to go on a quest to find the most exceptional ones this rosé season. With plenty of great options in the market, we chose to narrow down our list to these best rosé wines for your next hot date, guys’ night, or solo Netflix binge. Still reluctant to try this magical wine? We listed seven reasons why you should start drinking rosé.
Best rosé wines
To kick off, here the rosé wines you should try. Whether you’re looking for a cheap international bottle or you just want a healthier drink for relaxation, we got you covered.
Hampton Water 2022 Rosé
Hampton Water rosé is a remarkably delicious wine created by rock legend Jon Bon Jovi and his son Jesse Bongiovi alongside award-winning winemaker Gérard Bertrand. This perfectly balanced wine combines the best of the Hamptons with the sophistication of France. Bright and cheerful, Hampton Water has soft, fruity notes of citrus and strawberry and finishes long and smooth on the palate with hints of meticulous aging in new French Oak barrels.
Hahn Family Wines 2019 Rosé
A beaming Pinot Noir rosé from coastal Northern California, this wine is made entirely in stainless steel. The Santa Lucia Highlands fruit ripens slowly thanks to nearby Monterey Bay, leading to an easy-drinking wine with notes of melon and citrus. In short, it’s pure and pillowy on the palate.
Alìe 2017 Frescobaldi
A dry summer and just enough spring rain made for an optimal growing season for this elegant rosé from Alìe, made from blending Syrah and Vermentino (grown near the sea in the coastal town of Maremma, Italy). Delicate on the top with wildflower, strawberry, and citrus peel, there’s an earthy mineral base that grounds the wine, making it a lengthy, complex drink. Don’t confuse this rosé with a light spritzer — it’s strong enough to hold its own. Pair with heavily spiced dishes.
Famille Perrin Reserve Côtes du Rhône 2019 Rosé
For the price, Famille Perrin’s rosé wine more than delivers. It’s redolent of strawberry taffy, rose petals, and bubble gum, boasting aromatics that can’t be contained in the glass. Essentially, it sums up all the best pink flavors in one harmonious, spring-ready wine. Provence may be more widely known for its rosés, but the Rhone can produce bargains with just as much gravity.
M de Minuty Rosé 2022
A dry rosé that stands out with aromatic peach and candied orange, this more translucent pink wine, M de Minuty Rosé 2022, is the epitome of a perfect, fresh rosé. The light and bright color is the result of blending Grenache and Cinsault, forming a nose packed with intense orange peel and red currant aromas. That being said, Minuty is smooth in the mouth with a nice acidic crispness. It is perfect with fresh-caught prawns and apricot pie. The slim bottle adds a touch of modernity.
Tenuta di Fessina Erse Etna 2020 Rosato
This must-drink volcanic wine from Mount Etna in Italy is a broad-spectrum flavor, full of appealing tension. There’s pomegranate, earth, and vibrant acidity with a slight saline quality. It proves the vast worth of the Nerello Mascalese grape, which is fantastic as a red but also attention-grabbing as a pink wine (although it’s quite dark for a rosé). The Etna Rosato has the proper amount of funk, just enough to complement fellow flavors and stand out from the large rosé herd.
Folk Machine Gamay Noir Rosé
This offering from The Hobo Wine Company in California is made for spicy Thai food. Made entirely from Gamay Noir, the wine is full of red fruit, a bit of earth, and enough tannin to take on most entrees. The alcohol content is nice and low at around 10%, making it an ideal choice for afternoon sipping. It’s even bottled in a vessel made with a decent amount of recycled material and wears one of the better-looking labels out there. Gamay Noir is no longer just juice for Beaujolais; it’s dynamic and delicious in all kinds of forms.
Maal Ambiguo La Joven 2018 Blanco de Malbec
Malbec isn’t just the bold red we associate with steaks and toasts. Here’s an interesting Argentinian wine with a hit of pepper and a persistent and intriguing tanginess. Equal parts fruity and savory, it’s a fun rosé to match with smoked or spicy dishes or even brinier fare like conservas, The Ambiguo is an unexpected delight, equipped for al fresco dining.
Domaines Ott Chateau de Selle Cotes de Provence Rose 2022
Domaines Ott’s classic, traditional wines are exquisite, and the Chateau de Selle Cotes de Provence Rosé is no exception. This prettily pale pink rosé is delicate in both taste and appearance. White peach and apricot mix with more tropical notes of mango and passion fruit in this gorgeous wine. Fresh and full, fruity and crisp, the aroma is both citrusy and spicy with kisses of cinnamon and cardamom.
Cloudy Bay Pelorus Rosé
We adore Cloudy Bay wines for their loving craftsmanship and time-honored tradition that goes into each and every bottle. This sparkling rosé is elegant and complex, with a gorgeous salmon-colored hue and richly intense fruit notes. Raspberries, cranberries, wild strawberries, and marzipan are fresh and bright on the palate, giving way to toastier notes of baked brioche and warm, jammier fruits. The finish is soft and dry with a gentle effervescence that leaves you wanting more.
7 reasons you should drink rosé
1. Rosés aren’t a trend — they’re here to stay
“Rosé wines in their varying styles have taken a permanent seat for themselves at tables around the U.S., not to mention beaches, happy hours, parties, and more. That’s why winemakers are deciding it would make the perfect addition to their portfolios,” said Harry Hansen, director of winemaking at Sterling Vineyards of California.
2. There’s a rosé for every beer and whiskey you love
There’s also a common misconception that all rosés are overly sweet and taste the same, which is so not the case. The world of rosés is huge, with styles that range from dry to sweet and hues from nearly colorless pink to red. This huge variety not only means there’s a bottle of rosé out there for every white — or red-wine lover, but for regular beer or whiskey drinkers as well — so long as you can man up and get over the “pink” factor.
3. There’s no reason to care about the color
More or less, rosé is a combination of red and white grapes. “Winemakers create rosés of varying shades of pink by managing the length of contact between the juice and red grape skins during the winemaking process,” says Hansen. Yes, it’s pink. So what? It’s not as if you’re not allowed to be seen with something pink on your plate or in your glass. In fact, a perfect medium-rare steak is pinker than rosé. A classic Hemingway daiquiri? Pink. Would you argue that a cocktail made by one of the manliest men ever manned would not be manly simply because of the color? No. And not just because he’d knock you out for even suggesting such a thing.
4. It’s not white zinfandel
When a lot of people think of pink wines, they think of white zinfandel, a cloyingly sweet wine that is best reserved for the Solo cups of relatives you don’t care much for at family barbecues. True rosés aren’t all sweet like white zin is. Sure, some can be sweet, but over the last few years, winemakers from around the world (mainly France, the U.S., and Italy, the world’s largest producers of rosé) have been making rosés across the spectrum of sweet and dry. If the thought of overly sweet wine turns your stomach, never fear. There is still a rosé for you.
5. You look cultured
Rosé is the wine of choice for many people in the warmer months. The cool crispness of a nicely chilled bottle helps while the hours away while sitting at a street-side café in Paris or Milan. Not heading overseas anytime soon? Just think of it this way: Do you want to seem like a jerk who scoffs at rosé when the girl you’re trying to get with orders some? Answer: No. No, you don’t. If you do, that means you’re going home alone.
6. They’re classic
Winemaking had to start somehow, and it’s widely recognized that it was with wines that would resemble the rosés we know today. There was some contact between grape skins and juice — because they were stomped or squeezed by foot/hand — but not to the level that is done by machine today to achieve the dark colors we find in wines like pinot noirs.
7. They pair well with tons of foods
Just like reds and whites, rosés pair well with food. I mean, like really well. It doesn’t matter if it’s an outdoor brunch, a picnic, or even a barbecue, there is a rosé for the occasion. When you’re thinking of pairing combinations, typical rosé flavors fall closer to the white side of things, so light, fresh foods are a surefire hit — think fish, seafood, and salads. Plus, drinking rosé with dinner won’t leave you feeling stuffed and bloated.
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