We never really limit certain styles of wine to specific times of year—you’ll find us drinking reds in the summer, pouring white wines in the winter, and popping bubbly on any random Tuesday night—but as spring blooms once again, we inevitably start stocking up on rosé.
These days, rosé means so much more than pink wine. It blurs the lines with orange wines and light reds, and spills over into sparkling. And while dry rosés have driven the pink wine craze over the last two decades—in contrast to the White Zinfandels of yore—there’s still room for rosés with a touch of sweetness, too.
From longtime staples to new favorites, these are the rosés that SevenFifty Daily editors are loving right now. (All wines are listed with suggested retail price per bottle.)
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Clos Cibonne ‘Cuvée Tradition’ Tibouren Rosé 2023, Côtes de Provence, France; $52
There’s no dearth of rosé in the Côtes de Provence, but even in a plentiful sea of pink wine, Clos Cibonne’s ‘Cuvée Tradition’ stands apart. Even as the price has risen in recent years, it remains highly sought-after by buyers. This rosé is based on the Tibouren grape, an ancient variety that is also grown in Liguria, under the name Rossese; it’s blended with 10 percent of Grenache.
Unlike most rosés, the Clos Cibonne sits in the cellar for a year before release, aged in old barrels sous voile, or under a thin veil of yeast. The result is a pale, salmon-colored wine that looks much like its standard Provençale counterparts—but this belies its complexity, texture, and ability to age.
Chacra ‘Nacha’ Rosé 2024, Patagonia, Argentina; $31
Piero Incisa della Rocchetta, of Sassicaia fame, founded Chacra—an Andean term for “garden”—in 2004 in one of the most extreme winegrowing regions in the world: Patagonia’s Rio Negro Valley. When vineyards were planted here in the early 1900s, the dry, windy desert became one of the world’s most southerly wine regions. Today, some of the ungrafted Pinot Noir vines are nearing 100 years old, having adapted to harsh conditions, abandonment, and now organic and biodynamic farming.
The result is unique fruit, and in the case of the Nacha rosé, a wine that defies stereotypes of the category. The delicate, red-fruit notes from the old-vine Pinot Noir are balanced by more savory notes of white pepper and fennel. Fermentation in stainless-steel tanks followed by a short time on the lees ensures its unusual Patagonian origins can shine.
Tiberio Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo 2023, Abruzzo, Italy; $23
The rich yet easy-drinking Montepulciano d’Abruzzo has become a hit with consumers, but its lighter rosato counterpart, Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo, is one that we quickly reach for—especially this one, from Tiberio, a winery that has become an industry favorite in recent years. True to its name, it’s a dark, cherry-hued rosé, the Montepulciano grape skins aren’t macerated with the juice for any length of time.
Despite the still-prevailing myth that paler rosés are drier (and deeper ones are, therefore, sweeter), the Tiberio Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo is dry and incredibly flavorful. Brimming with vibrant acidity, juicy, tangy cherry notes meet stony, salty savory tones on the finish.
Rosé Champagne, pét-nat, Lambrusco, and more recommendations from sommeliers and retailers across the country—just in time for rosé season
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Bedrock Wine Co. ‘Ode To Lulu’ Rosé 2024, Sonoma, California; $99.99 per three-liter bag in box
As the name suggests, this rosé from Sonoma-based Bedrock Wine Co. is an ode to Lucie “Lulu” Peyraud of the famed Bandol winery Domaine Tempier. Like most Bandol rosés, it’s based on Mourvèdre, then rounded out with Syrah and Grenache. The majority of the fruit comes from 100-year-old vineyards in Contra Costa and Sonoma County. The result is a refreshing yet weighty blend of citrus and stone fruit aromas with a savory, herbal backbone.
While delicious, this wine earned mention for another reason: convenient, sustainable packaging. Like few other producers, Bedrock Wine Co. has committed to putting high-quality wine in a box. According to Bedrock, the bag-in-box packaging, which uses recycled and recyclable material, has an 80 percent lower carbon footprint than standard glass bottles. Plus, being significantly lighter and square, the transportation of the boxes is up to 60 percent more environmentally friendly. The collapsible bag also keeps wine fresh for about a month—so there can be delicious, sustainable rosé on tap all summer long.
Patrick Bottex ‘La Cueille’ Bugey-Cerdon NV, Savoie, France; $26
Tucked in the southern Jura mountains is the tiny, 500-hectare region of Bugey, which officially gained AOC status in 2009 and is home to just 80 winegrowers. In Bugey’s sub-region of Cerdon, one of just three recognized crus, you’ll find a rare treat: a bubbly, lightly sweet rosé made by the méthode ancestrale that clocks in at just 8% ABV. This delightful, Gamay-based style of wine makes up almost half of Bugey’s production. Once you taste it, it’s easy to see why.
Patrick Bottex’s ‘La Cueille’ is a blend of 80 percent Gamay and 20 percent Poulsard grown in one of the region’s high-altitude hamlets dominated by limestone soils. But the dramatic landscape and historic winemaking results in a decidedly playful wine that’s hard not to love. It’s refreshingly fizzy and highly aromatic with notes of wild strawberries and florals, and the wine has just a hint of sweetness—about 40 grams of sugar per liter—which rounds out the wine and makes it simply delicious.
Fossil & Fawn ‘Do Nothing’ 2023, Willamette Valley, Oregon; $26
The Fossil & Fawn ‘Do Nothing’ is not technically a rosé; this co-ferment of red and white grapes is labeled as a red wine. But the hue of this wine, as well as the grapes used to make it, straddles the light red/dark rosé line, and you’ll find it in our fridges alongside its paler counterparts.
As for the method used to make the Do Nothing? It’s all in the name: Fossil & Fawn co-owners Jim Fischer and Jenny Mosbacher use carbonic maceration to ferment a changing mix of red and white grapes (the 2023 vintage included Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Muscat) and wait to see what happens. After resting in neutral barrel and tank, it’s snappy and a bit savory, with tons of juicy acidity.
Ameztoi ‘Rubentis’ Rosé 2024, Getariako Txakolina, Spain; $27
A longtime sommelier favorite, Ameztoi’s ‘Rubentis’ claims to be the first ever rosé Txakoli—though many others have followed in its footsteps. It’s a field blend of the white Hondarrabi Zuri and the red Hondarrabi Beltza, grown high above the Bay of Biscay in lush northern Spain.
To craft the Ameztoi rosé’s fresh, mouthwatering, slightly spritzy style, the red and white grapes are co-fermented in stainless steel tanks, which are then sealed towards the end of fermentation, creating an effervescent wine. With fresh citrus and strawberry notes that combine with salty tones reminiscent of sea spray, there’s a reason why we aren’t the only devotees of the Ameztoi ‘Rubentis’ rosé.
Dispatch
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Courtney Schiessl Magrini is the editor-in-chief for SevenFifty Daily and the Beverage Media Group publications. She has held sommelier positions at some of New York’s top restaurants, including Marta, Dirty French, and Terroir, and her work has appeared in Wine Enthusiast, GuildSomm, Forbes.com, VinePair, EatingWell Magazine, and more. She holds the WSET Diploma in Wines. Follow her on Instagram at @takeittocourt.
