The Best Rosés for Summer, From Bargain Pours to Splurge-Worthy Bottles

From backyard barbecues to happy hour poolside, rosé is the ideal wine for summer.

There aren’t many comeback stories better than rosé’s. Back in the late 2000s, selling dry rosé was a thankless task. Imagining its resurgence was like imagining the return of leisure suits, or the AMC Gremlin. And yet, return it did.

In rapid succession rosé went from “Hey, weird, people in the Hamptons are drinking rosé,” to “This seems fun, maybe I’ll Instagram it,” to “Out of the way, tiny weak wines, I’m ROSÉ!” The top three French brands alone now sell more than 18 million bottles a year in the U.S.

But what is rosé — or maybe, what should rosé be? Provençal rosés dominate, no question: pale pink to transparent salmon-orange, light-bodied, delicately suggestive of citrus fruit and red berries. But rosés can be anywhere from almost colorless to electric pink to burnished copper to nearly as dark as red wine. That goes back to how rosé is made. The color in red wines comes from the skins of the grapes, with very few exceptions; if you let the grape juice macerate for less time on the skins, rather than dark purply-red wine, you’ll get pink.

Related: Yes, You Can and Should Age Rosé

And it’s worth noting that darker rosés are neither necessarily higher in alcohol nor sweeter in flavor, nor are they any less classic. More often it’s a question of local tradition or grape variety, or both. Italy’s Cerasuolo di Abruzzo rosés, for instance, are a deep scarlet, and always have been. Philippe Guigal, of the famed Rhône producer E. Guigal, says, “Rosé is not necessarily something very pale that you drink with an ice cube next to a pool. And maybe people are becoming a little bored with that style — you taste one, you taste two, you taste three, and they are very similar. But rosé can also be a wine of terroir; in Tavel, for instance, it shows the complexity of the soil in this small appellation.”

The Guigal Tavel, transparently ruby-hued, spicy and complex, is just one of the wines recommended here. Some are Provençal; some come from other regions of France; and others from the U.S., or Italy, or even Germany. Their shades run the gamut, but they do all have one thing in common: they’re delicious.

Here are the 28 rosés from around the world to try this summer from bargain bottles to splurge-worthy pours.

Related: 8 Summer Cocktails You Can Make with a Bottle of Rosé

$20 or less

2022 Bieler Père et Fils Sabine Coteaux d’Aix en Provence ($18)

A nuance of spicy adds complexity to this lively white peach- and tangerine-inflected rosé. The père and fils here are wine entrepreneur Charles Bieler and his father Philippe Bieler, the latter of whom started making rosé in Provence almost 30 years ago.

2023 Mathilde Chapoutier Côtes de Provence Orsuro ($20)

Pale, luminous pink in hue, with melon and tangerine notes, this vibrant bottling comes from Mathilde Chapoutier, the daughter of Rhône legend Michel Chapoutier. It’s named for the Provençal orsuro, an icy wind that blows in from the north.

What's Provencal rosé?

Provence’s vineyards produce a vast amount of rosé — it’s 91% of the wine produced in the region. Classically, Provençal rosés are light-bodied and pale in hue. There are a lot out there, many of which about as interesting as pink water; but when Provençal rosés are good, they’re brilliantly refreshing, subtly complex, and live up to their reputation as summer in a glass.

2022 Mas de Gourgonnier Les Baux de Provence ($20)

Longtime organic producer Mas de Gourgonnier is better known for its perennial good-value red, but this strawberry-scented rosé is equally appealing, full of ripe fruit and a subtly stony finish.

2023 Le Paradou Accent & Nuances Cinsault Mediterrannée Rosé ($14)

The owners of the Rhône Valley’s Château Pesquié produce this pale pink, lightly savory wine with grapes from the broad Mediterrannée appellation, which includes Provence and parts of the Rhône; the name refers to the old watermills that once dotted the landscape of the region.

2023 Lafage Miraflors ($17)

The ancient Grenache Gris and Noir vines that go into this pale, salmon pink wine, come from an an old estate located in the heart of Domaine Lafage, Mas Miraflors; the other half of the blend comes from slightly younger Mourvèdre, which gives an earthy edge to its peach and red berry flavors.

Related: How to Read a French Wine Label

2022 Jean-Maurice Raffault Chinon Rosé ($19)

Raffault is one of Chinon’s historic names; the family started farming here 14 generations ago, in 1693. This is a beautiful rosé, especially at the price: luminous salmon orange, fragrant with cherry and peach aromas, with similar flavors that end on a subtle anise note.

2023 Domaine de la Janasse Côtes du Rhône Rosé ($20)

Rhône Valley rosés tend to be fuller-bodied and darker than Provençal versions, and this one is no exception. Transparent red cherry in hue, with oodles of red fruit flavor—currants, cherries, maybe a touch of pomegranate—it would be perfect with an herb-roasted chicken.

2023 Librandi Segno Librandi Cirò DOC Rosato ($15)

Sweet lemon notes with raspberry accents linger nicely in this delicately tannic rosé. It’s 100% Gaglioppo, native to Calabria’s Ionian coastline, and comes from a winery founded in 1950 and still family run.

2023 Alma de Cattleya Rosé of Pinot Noir ($20)

Bibiana Gonzalez-Ravé grew up in Colombia, with almost zero exposure to wine, but somehow by age 14 she knew that one day she would become a winemaker. That belief became reality. Now living in California, she makes a range of excellent wines, including this cherry blossom-scented rosé.

Related: The Difference Between Prosecco Rosé and Sparkling Rosé

2023 Lucy Rosé of Pinot Noir ($20)

A sub-label from California’s famed Pisoni vineyards, Lucy focuses on affordable wines that also have a charitable angle. In this case, $1 from every bottle of this lively, crisp, Pinot Noir rosé goes to breast cancer research.

2022 Masciarelli Villa Gemma Cerasuolo di Abruzzo ($20)

Abruzzo’s rosé Cerasuolos are so dark they might as well be lighter-hued red wines, but no matter which way you look at them, they’re delicious, and Masciarelli’s is a classic. Medium-bodied, with earthy cherry and orange flavors, it’s a perfect argument for why good rosé doesn’t have to be pale pink.

$20 - $30

2023 Rocca di Montegrossi Rosato ($25)

Rocca di Montegrossi is known for the terrific Chianti Classicos it produces from its Sangiovese vineyards in Gaiole, but owner Marco Ricasoli-Firidolfi also makes this sunshine-bright rosé. It’s so vibrant that it’s almost tingly, with red berry and grapefruit flavors and vivid, refreshing acidity.

Related: Chianti Wine Is a Classic For a Reason

2023 Raen The Monarch Challenge Rose ($30)

Carlo Mondavi’s Raen winery makes some of California’s most compelling Pinot Noirs, as well as this distinctively spicy rosé, made with a blend of Pinot Noir and old-vine Grenache. Part of the proceeds from the wine go to the Xerces Society and Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue, two non-profit environmental organizations.

2023 Pink Pégau ($23)

Laurence Feraud makes some of Châteauneuf du Pape’s greatest wines, but she also makes this richly flavorful yet crisp rosé from her estate in Sorgues, four miles south of the Châteauneuf appellations borders. Like all her wines, it’s pretty much irresistible.

2023 Domaine de La Noblaie Goutte de Rosé Chinon ($24)

Chinon, in the Loire Valley, produces tangy, spicy rosés from the Cabernet Franc grape. Domaine de la Noblaie’s potent bottling, all red currants and fresh herbs, comes from biodynamically farmed grapes.

Related: Syrah — A Guide to the Basics

2022 E. Guigal Tavel ($25)

“My grandfather was selling Tavel from the 1942 vintage when he founded our winery in 1946,” Philippe Guigal says. “Who would think that a rose could age four years? But Tavel is a wine of terroir, and has this ability to age.” Transparent ruby, with palate-coating strawberry-spice flavors, this impressive rosé from the Rhône Valley fulfills that promise.

2023 Gerard Bertrand Cotes des Roses Languedoc Art Edition ($27)

Organically grown Grenache, Cinsault, and Syrah provide the cherry, citrus and floral notes in this appealing, limited-edition version of Betrand’s massively popular Cotes de Roses bottling; Australian artist Morgan Jamieson provides the lively, blossom-abundant art for the label.

Try rosé from the rest of France

Partly spurred on by Provence’s success, rosés can be found in every region of France these days. But they’re also traditional in places as diverse as Tavel, in the Rhône Valley, the Loire Valley’s Chinon appellation, and Burgundy’s Marsannay. Some are bold; some nuanced; the best, like these, are well worth investigating.

2023 Esprit de Gassier Côtes de Provence ($23)

Gassier sits against the slopes of the Saint Victoire massif, about which Paul Cézanne wrote, “Such a sight to behold, the compelling thirst of the sun, yet such melancholy when, at night, its heaviness fades.” Does this wine capture that? Hard to say, but its fragrant grapefruit-yuzu character is hard to resist.

2023 Bargemone Coteaux d’Aix en Provence ($24)

The Commanderie de Bargemone was founded by the Knights Templar in the 1200s—they were more interested in crusades that in making wine, but for at least a century now Bargemone has made this pale orange, lightly herbal wine.

2023 Chateau La Gordonne Chapelle Gordonne Cotes de Provence ($25)

Romans grew grapes on the site of Gordonne as early as the 1st century B.C., perhaps recognizing the quality of its schistous soil. This pale orange wine expresses that terroir in its alluring red currant and raspberry flavors and citrus accents.

Related: How to Cook with Rosé Wine

2023 Roseblood de Estoublon Coteaux Varois en Provence ($29)

Ignore the star power of the owners of this historic property—Jean-Guillaume Prats, former CEO of Bordeaux’s Cos d’Estournel, model and all-around famous person Carla Bruni and her husband (and former French President) Nicolas Sarkozy—and concentrate on the fresh red-currant liveliness of this rosé, with its white pepper and citrus accents.

2022 Peyrassol Les Commandeurs ($30)

The first recorded harvest at the Commanderie de Peyrassol, a former fortress of the Knights Templar, was in 1256—plenty of time to perfect this classic Provençal rosé. Made with organic grapes, it suggests ripe berries and summer blossoms.

$30+

2022 Domaine de l’ille Porquerolles Cotes de Provence ($35)

The island off the coast of Provence from which this creamy, berry-bright wine comes from was acquired by the Fournier family as a wedding present in 1910; they made wine here until 2019, when Chanel became the new (and current) owner.

2023 Marine Layer Sonoma Coast Carina Rosé ($38)

Marine Layer’s Carina is named after the constellation representing the keel of the Argo, the ship of Jason and the Argonauts. Winemaker Rob Fischer blends 80 percent Pinot Noir and 20 percent Grenache for a pale, luminous pink wine, alive with tangy strawberry-lime flavors.

Rosé gone global

These days rosé is made essentially anywhere that makes red wine—the market demands it, and, realistically, many are by-products of red wine production that give wineries a swift way to make some money while their reds age before release. But there are terrific examples to be found everywhere, if you know where to look.

2022 Château de Pibarnon Bandol Rosé ($45)

Bandol rosés, primarily made from the Mourvèdre grape, offer more richness and power (and deeper color, and more complexity) than typical Provençal bottlings. This one, made from organic grapes, is no exception, with its bold strawberry and blood orange flavors.

2022 Domaine Ott Chateau de Selle ($65)

Domaine Ott is arguably the benchmark for Provençal rosé, and has been for almost 130 years, ever since Marcel Ott ventured here from Alsace and bought his first vineyards. Those were at Château de Selle, whose limestone-heavy soils are the source for this emphatic, gingery-spicy wine.

Related: No, Rosé Isn't Just a Summer Wine

2021 Domaine Bruno Clair Marsannay Rosé ($60)

Marsannay is the only Burgundy appellation that produces red, white, and rosé wines (and probably the only one famed for the latter). Bruno Clair’s rosé is one of the best in the village, dark ruby-pink in hue, elegant and complex, suggesting red cherries and lime zest—a top-notch Burgundy in all regards, no matter the color.

2022 Meyer Näkel Rosé ($45)

German rosé? If it tastes like this gorgeous, cherry-hued rosé of Pinot Noir (or Spätburgunder, if you want to be Teutonic about it), then definitely. Sisters Meike and Dörte Näkel run this Pinot-focused winery, one of the benchmarks of Germany’s Ahr region.

For more Food & Wine news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Food & Wine.