Rosé is the perfect summer wine. It’s crisp and always served chilled, so it’s fully refreshing no matter what the temperature is outside. It can also be fuller in flavor than a white wine, yet not as heavy as a red. This makes it ideal for drinking on its own or pairing with different kinds of food, from hors d’oeuvres to sourdough flatbread or a fresh salad with cucumber and garden herbs.
Rosés tend to have light berry and fruit flavors and often end with a crisp finish. And while some people think of pink wine as sweet, most rosé is actually dry. Dry refers to the amount of residual sugar in a wine after the sugars in the grapes have been converted into alcohol. Dry rosé has low residual sugar and is nothing like the sweet blush wine White Zinfandel.
Provence is a region in the south of France that’s known for its dry rosé wines. From a Côtes de Provence with its delicate melon and rose petal hints, to a Costières de Nîmes full of strawberry and raspberry flavors, or the higher-end Bandol with rich peach, pomegranate and summer herbs, these are some of the best and most popular dry rosés in the world.
You can also find dry rosé wines from Italy, Spain and of course, the United States. In California and Oregon, rosés tend to be made from the Pinot Noir grape (or Grenache and Syrah). That’s why California wines can be a bit darker in color compared to the pale pinks of a French rosé. They often have raspberry and cherry notes, and sometimes watermelon and strawberry too.
One of the fun things about rosé is it’s made just about everywhere where they produce wine, and it comes in so many different styles, there are plenty of wines to explore!
How do they make rosé?
So what exactly is rosé and how is it made? To make rose colored wine you need red grapes, not white. Winemakers might harvest the grapes for a rosé early, so they have higher acidity, less sugar and less richness. They then make the wine in one of three ways. A common approach is to allow the juice from the crushed grapes to stay on their skins for a certain amount of time, so the wine picks up a pink color, along with more body and flavor. Another method is to slowly press the grapes so a light pale pink color transfers as they’re being crushed. Then there’s saignée, a technique in which they bleed off some of the juice from red wine production to make a rosé. This last one leads to wine that can be darker in color. When it comes to sparkling rosé, they usually add some red wine to the final blend before bottling.
Which grapes are rose colored wines made from?
Rosé wines can be a blend of grapes or be made from just one varietal. The grapes that are used depend on what grows best in a particular area and the style the winery is going for. For example, a Chinon rosé is Cabernet Franc whereas a Reuilly rosé is Pinot Gris and rosés from Spain are often made with the Tempranillo and Grenache grapes!
Here are some of the most common grape varietals in rosé, particular for wines from Provence, California and Oregon:
- Grenache
- Cinsault
- Mourvèdre
- Counoise
- Vermentino (known as Rolle)
- Pinot Noir
- Syrah
Our top list of dry rosés
Rosé wines come in a range of styles, from bone-dry to more fruity, depending on the grapes in the blend, how the wines were made and the region they’re from.
Côtes de Provence
From orange peel to rose petals, melon notes and red berries, a Côtes de Provence is a delicious light to medium-bodied rosé with good acidity and tongue on stone minerality. Expect a dry and fairly complex wine with layered fruit and flavor. Côtes de Provence rosé is usually made with Cinsault followed by Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah and Counoise. Cinsault is a blending grape that tends to be lighter in flavor and color and has tart cherry, raspberry and violet notes. You’ll find Côtes de Provence rosé in most wine shops with prices ranging from $18 to $125 a bottle. Note, some local producers have begun outsourcing grapes. Make sure you check the appellation on the label carefully. Producers to look for include: Chateau Minuty, Chateau d’Esclans (Whispering Angel), Domaines Ott and Miraval. Our recommendation: You can’t go wrong with a Côtes de Provence rosé!
French Wine Tip: Rosé wines from the Provence region of France can come in different bottle shapes!
Bandol
Bandol is a town in the southern part of Provence, on the Mediterranean Sea. It’s known for making some of the best (and by best we mean most expensive and award-winning) rose wines in all of France. Bandol rosés are big, full-bodied and more complex wines with layers of red fruit, dried herbs, and a chalky minerality. You can find melon, stone-fruit, like nectarine, red currants, raspberry and cherries in their flavor profile. By law, a Bandol rosé must be 50% Mourvèdre, this is what gives the wine more body. You’ll also typically find Cinsault and Grenache in the blend. What’s interesting about Bandol is most winemakers age this wine for a year before release. Try a top Bandol rosé with a fish stew like Bouillabaisse for a wine food pairing fit for a jet setter. Producers to look for include Domaine Tempier, Domaine Marie Bérénice rosé, Domaine de Bagnol, Domaine du Gros’ Noré, and Domaine de Terrebrune. Expect to pay between $40 and $125. Top tip: Open a bottle of Bandol to celebrate a special occasion.
Cassis
Cassis is another small area in the south of Provence with vineyards overlooking the sea. Cassis is mostly known for their white wines, but they also make crisp and dry rosé here with Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvèdre. Their rosé is fuller-flavored and has a hint of saltiness in the finish with bright summer fruit. Producers to look for include Clos Sainte Magdeleine and Domaine du Bagnol. You may have to ask around to find this wine, but it’s worth it. Expect to pay between $28-40 a bottle. Keep in mind: Cassis can be hard to find but the salty notes in the finish make it a standout rosé!
Tavel from the Rhône
The appellation of Tavel in the southern Rhône area of France only makes one wine and that wine is rosé. If you haven’t tried Tavel before, it’s a fuller-bodied rosé that’s best enjoyed with food vs. opened on its own. This is a dry wine that tends to have less acidity than a traditional rose wine from Provence. It’s usually made with Grenache but might also have Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault in the blend. Top producers include Chateau d’Aqueria, Domaine Maby, and Les Vignerons de Tavel. Prices range from $20-30 a bottle. Bottom line: When it comes to Tavel, have this rosé with food.
Languedoc rosé
The Languedoc is a large region to the west of Provence that makes red, white and some rose wines. Their rosé is typically a light to medium rose color, crisp, dry and often very good value. This is an area going through a rapid renaissance in terms of wine production. While in the past, Languedoc was known for its bulk wine, they now have more small production, hand-crafted styles. Plenty of up-and-coming winemakers are moving to Languedoc and you’ll find a lot of the wines are organically farmed. Rosé from this region can be made with one or more of the following grapes: Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cinsault and Syrah. Producers to look for include Domaine de Fontsainte, Gérard Bertrand, Domaines Paul Mas, and Ermitage du Pic St Loup. Key takeaway: Look for organic rose wines from Languedoc at good prices.
Cerasuolo
If you tend to drink mainly rosé from France, here’s your chance to try a dry Italian wine! Cerasuolo comes from the Abruzzo area of Italy, not too far from Rome. The name itself refers to the cherry-red color of the wine. Nonetheless, wine from this region can range from a bright pink to a light, almost cranberry tone. These are medium to full-bodied wines with good acidity and a flavor profile that includes cherry, cranberry, strawberry and wild berries, with a floral finish. Some can even have a bit of spice to them. Cerasuolo rosé must be made with a minimum 85% of the Montepulciano grape, but it can also have some Sangiovese in the blend. Like Tavel, this wine goes best with food. You should be able to find Cerasuolo wines in any fine wine shop with a decent Italian selection. Some producers to look for include Tiberio (our favorite!) Fantini, Masciarelli and Valentini. Note: Cerasuolo is the perfect rosé for Italian wine lovers; it’s packed with flavor!
More dry rosé to explore
From the Loire Valley, try a rosé made in Reuilly. Reuilly rose wines stand out because of their pale pink, onion-skinned color. They’re almost like drinking a white wine and are made with the Pinot Gris grape. You can get stone-fruit like peach, with hints of honey and ginger on the nose. Also from the Loire Valley and on the opposite side of the color spectrum is a Chinon rosé made from the Cabernet Franc grape. This rosé tends to be darker in color and fuller-bodied with a profile that includes raspberry, pomegranate and currant flavors and aromas. Note, they also make rosé in Sancerre using the Pinot Noir grape. If you like Spanish wines, look for a rosé from the Navarra or Rioja area.
American rosé
America first started making rosé in the 1960s and 70s when Mateus and Lancers were at their prime – these were pink wines from Portugal that were on the sweet side. However, the most common rosé back then was a bulk Grenache based blush wine that you tended to find sold in gallons or half-gallon containers. Then there was a period in which rosé basically disappeared into the shadows of California’s Chardonnay and Cabernet boom. But as European rosé made a comeback in the early 2000s, California and then Oregon, got back in the game.
Today, most American rosé is made with the Pinot Noir grape, though there are some wineries using Grenache, Syrah and/or Pinot Gris. Rosé wine tends to be smaller production, dry, handcrafted bottles that sit in the medium price range at $15-30. Depending on where the wine comes from, you can get summer fruits, including melon and strawberry in the flavor profile. Look for a dry rosé from the Willamette Valley in Oregon for your next summer gathering, or try a delicious, dry sparkling rosé from California for your next birthday toast!
5 Food pairing ideas for rosé
- Reuilly rosé and a green salad with fresh basil, ricotta and balsamic. Reuilly is a pale, dry rosé wine that goes perfectly with summer salads. The bright acidity in the wine will pair beautifully with the ricotta cheese and balsamic.
- Costières de Nîmes with a tomato and bitter greens quiche. This is a a dry rosé with floral notes and ripe fruit from the Rhône area that makes a perfect pairing with a summer quiche – you can serve it with lighter pastas too.
- Côtes de Provence and lightly grilled shrimp and calamari with lemon and herbs. This is a classic wine food pairing. A Côtes de Provence is light and refreshing and won’t overpower the delicate fish flavors. It will be crisp and its backbone of minerality can help to highlight the herbs in the dish.
- Tavel and turkey burgers with grilled vegetables. You want a darker rosé with more body to help counter the richer flavors in grilled meats. Tavel from France is just the ticket! Enjoy it with marinated peppers too and even veggie skewers in a sweet sauce.
- A Pinot Noir based California rosé with dijon and herb crusted chicken breast. Pinot Noir rosés are dry and crisp but fuller in flavor and medium-bodied. They make one of the best wine pairings for chicken and other white meats, including pork.
