You’ll be tickled pink as you uncork a beautiful sunny day with these budget-friendly, refreshing rosés. From Brooke Parkhurst and James Briscione, authors of Just Married and Cooking: 200 Recipes for Living, Eating, and Entertaining Together.
Brooke on the Bottle–Rosé Wines: Thrifty Spring Fling
After a winter of overpriced reds, rosé wines are as welcome as a light spring tan. But first, you’ve got to banish visions (and flavors) of your mom’s sweet, pink Zinfandel from the ’70s and ’80s.
A good rosé is dry, crisp, and floral. She’s an actress to boot. While she can play like a red wine, with her fruit and body, she can also display the freshness and acidity of a white. This versatility means that she pairs with a wide array of foods—everything from take-out Chinese to the first spring lamb roast.
And here’s the fun part—she’s cheap! Okay, “affordable” would be the nicer word, but if you compare her to her French sisters, she’s a steal at $15 (or less) a bottle. This has to do with a number of factors, but a biggie is AGE . Don’t believe in the “vintage rosé” hullabaloo—rosé wines are meant to be enjoyed young, about a year or two after they’re bottled.
Kind of like that mental checklist that helped you find Mr./Mrs. Right, take this checklist with you next time you visit the wine store. You’ll walk away happy . . . and a little pink.
Best Regions for Rosé Wine
Southern France
Southern Italy
Northern Spain
Desirable Characteristics
Nice Fruit
Good Acidity
Light in Texture, Full in Flavor
Notes (the wine will taste like several of the below—though not ALL of the below)
Fresh Strawberry
Raspberries
Watermelon
Cherry
Herbs (depending on the region, the herby flavors could include thyme, rosemary, sage)
Grapes (my completely biased list of the grapes that make the best bone-dry rosé)
Grenache
Syrah
Cinsaut (or a combination of the latter three grapes)
Tempranillo
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