The diversity of styles and shades within the rosé category has grown profoundly, a great situation for those seeking a wine adventure. But, in the midst of this scorching summer heat, you might just want a cold glass of wine without all the exploration.
So. we’ve done the hard work for you, zeroing in on four rosé wines we plan to stock for the remainder of the season. While we encourage you to drink pink wines year-round, the especially crisp, delicate styles highlighted here will help you survive until fall’s cool breezes kick in.
Most refreshing: Graci Etna rosato 2022. Sicily is a special place for wine, but while more consumers are asking for elegant reds made from frappato and nerello mascalese, not many think of the island for their summer rosé. The vines for this rosé are grown in volcanic soil on the northern slope of Mount Etna, which has a relatively cooler climate that allows the wines to maintain acidity and freshness. When poured, this wine is a delicate shade of salmon pink that is so pale, you might fool your rosé-hating friends into giving it a shot.
Crowd-pleaser: Chalmers rosato 2021. Italy-inspired, Australia-grown, Chalmers wines are a perpetual favorite of ours, but this was the first time their juicy rosé was available in Georgia. It quickly landed in our regular rotation. Made predominantly from the red grape aglianico, a southern Italy variety that produces intense, savory reds, this offering is an affable wine, bursting with notes of melon, strawberries and cream, and juicy nectarine. While dry, it has enough fruit to sway a fan of sweeter wines. We love this rosé as a pairing with summer barbecue.
Best value: Ferrandiere grenache gris 2022. A great wine under $15 is becoming hard to find, so when we first tried this classic style of rosé from the south of France, we rejoiced (and bought a ton of it). Made from organically grown grenache grapes, this wine has the classic peach melba aromatics we’ve come to expect from this Mediterranean area of France. Buy it by the case, so you have a bottle for any occasion.
Impress your wine friends: Stein rosé trocken 2022. To those who still think Germany is the land of only sweet white wines, we offer this outstanding dry rosé as evidence to the contrary. An incredible producer from the Mosel region of Germany, Stein is worth seeking out for its full spectrum of wines, but the rosé is a unique treat, made from old-vine pinot noir, as well as some cabernet sauvignon and merlot, two grapes rarely grown in Germany. This rosé is complex enough to pair with dinner, but also is great when sipped on its own while hanging out on the porch.
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