National Rosé Day: 12 Pink Wines You Need to Try
Happy National Rosé Day! Who doesn’t love a glass of this famed pink drink?
Rosé definitely deserves a day because it’s so much more than a pretty wine. It is, of course, delicious on it’s own, but because of its high acid and fruitiness, I consider it to be one of the easiest wines to pair with food. Try pairing your favorite rosé with seafood, salad, grilled veggies, pastas, chicken, and more.
There are a few methods for making rosé, but the most common way is to use red grapes and allow them to macerate (soak) on their skins for a short period of time. The more time spent soaking, the darker the color of the resulting wine. For more about how rosé is made, check out this post.
Rosé can have a range of red fruit flavors and aromas, like red cherry, strawberry, and watermelon, complemented by minerality (think wet rocks), and sometimes sweet spices like vanilla.
12 Rosé Wines You Need to Try
There are so many great styles of rosé to try, but I tend to prefer the dry, still (non-sparkling) versions. Below are some of my favorites that I recommend tasting.
1. Bella Grace Vineyards Estate Rosé, Amador County, CA
Full of fruits like strawberries, red cherries, and watermelon, complemented by lemon curd and a touch of rose petals.
It’s smooth, complex, and delicious.
2. Cambria Estate Winery Julia’s Vineyard Rosé of Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley, CA
If you enjoy a touch of savory notes in your rosé, this is the one for you.
This one has notes of grapefruit, red cherry, peach, unripe strawberry, watermelon, and a bit of salinity from ocean influence of the Santa Barbara region.
It’s easy-drinking, textured, and unique.
3. Early Bird Rosé, CA
This rosé is a thirst-quenching fruit bomb! Full of watermelon, strawberry, vanilla, it’s ultra juicy.
Plus, use code Lexi10 for 10% off!
4. Domaines Ott Chateau de Selle Rosé, Côtes de Provence, France
A classic expression of Provence-style rosé with a light body and notes of strawberry, white peach, melon, and minerality.
It’s full of bright fruit, high acid, and it’s delicious with seafood.
This one is a bit pricier, so this is my special occasion rosé.
5. Valle Galfina Etna Rosato, Etna, Sicily, Italy
This rosé is unique from your typical, light-bodied rosé wines that are all the rage right now.
It’s medium-bodied and textured with notes of strawberry and cherry, but due to some oak influence, the fruit is complemented with sweet spices.
The wine finishes off with a touch of minerality to maintain its freshness.
By the way, this one is delicious with cheese.
6. Happy Hour Rosé, La Mancha, Spain
This is an amazing value rosé, coming in at around $10 at Trader Joe’s!
With notes of red cherry, jasmine, grapefruit, sweet red roses, rain water, and cherry lollipop, it’s not lacking in complexity.
7. Olema Rosé, Côtes de Provence, France
This is another classic expression of Provence rosé, with notes of cantaloupe, watermelon, cherry popsicle, a bit of citrus, and a deliciously floral finish.
It’s a light-bodied, easy-sipper.
8. DAOU Vineyards Rosé, Paso Robles, CA
This one is so succulent and delicious. It’s inspired by the dry rosé wines of Southern France, but in my opinion, it has a bit more complexity.
It has so many fruit notes like watermelon, cherry, ripe strawberry, honeydew, complemented by vanilla.
Plus, the bottle is gorgeous!
9. Whispering Angel, Côtes de Provence, France
This one never disappoints. It’s another classic expression of Provence rosé, with a light body and notes of strawberry, raspberry, grapefruit, and peach.
10. The Palm by Whispering Angel, Côtes de Provence, France
This is the more affordable wine from the makers of Whispering Angel. You can pick it up for around $15!
It’s a similar style - light-bodied with lots of red fruits and some citrus.
The perfect poolside sipper!
11. Idle Chatter Rosé of Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, CA
This 100% pinot noir rosé is well-balanced, with fruity notes and some sweet spices from the oak influence.
I don’t know about you, but I love a rosé with some oaky notes. It just adds more complexity and can stand up to a wider range of food pairings.
A sip of this immediately made me think of angel food cake with strawberries.
12. Cavaletti Mile 109, CA
This is one of my favorite local LA wines.
It’s made from tempranillo grapes and has notes of strawberries, honeydew, and white peaches.
This wine is refreshing, fruity, and perfect for summer.
I hope this provides a well-rounded collection of your rosé wines for your summer wine-drinking needs! But let’s be honest, rosé season is year-round.
Have you tried any of these yet? If you have a favorite rosé let me know in the comments!
P.S. If you want to try a few different rosé styles, but you’re not sure where to start, book a wine tasting with me! These tastings are completely customizable, so we can do a rosé themed tasting if you like!
P.P.S. If you’d like to know how rosé, head to this post about how rosé wine is made.
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