Sparkling Rosé: What to Know and 6 Bottles to Try

Looking to level up your wine night at home? Simply pop a bottle of sparkling rosé. These effervescent, flavor-packed bottles are perfect for adding a bubbly touch to your sipping, no celebration required. However, not all that sparkles is created equal. Similar to non-rosé bottlings, sparkling rosé comes in a variety of styles and is produced from a handful of different grape varieties from regions across the globe in a wide spectrum of sweetness levels. This is what to know about the wine and six of our favorite bottles in the category.

Where Does Sparkling Rosé Come From?

Sparkling rosé is exactly what it sounds like: pink wine laden with bubbles. These wines are produced all over the world in a variety of regions and styles. Most of the popular styles of sparkling wines you know—Champagne, cava, pét-nat, and more—are also available in rosé formats. 

How Is Sparkling Rosé Made?

Generally speaking, sparkling rosés are produced based on the regions from which they come, as well as adhere to strict regional guidelines that designate grape variety and minimum aging time. For example, rosé wines made in Champagne (rosé Champagne) must be made from white Champagne (generally chardonnay) blended with still (non-sparkling) pinot meunier or pinot noir and aged for a minimum of 15 months (12 on the lees) prior to release. 

In rosé cava production, all authorized white grape varieties as well as garnacha, monastrell, pinot noir, and trepat are permitted, and aging is based on the cava rosado de guarda, reserva, or gran reserva guidelines. With pét-nats and wines designated simply as “sparkling rosé,” the production style, grape varieties, and aging minimum are much more flexible. 

What Does Sparkling Rosé Taste Like?

The flavor profiles of sparkling rosé are highly dependent on the wines’ grape variety, production style, and time spent on the lees. However, notes of red fruit, cherries, citrus, and white flowers are common tasting notes across the board.

As a reference, these are the designations of sparkling wine based on sugar level, listed from driest to sweetest:

Brut nature/zero dosage: No added sugar
Extra brut: 0 to 6 g/L (grams per Liter) of residual sugar
Brut: 0 to 12 g/L (grams per Liter) of residual sugar
Extra dry: 12 to 17 g/L (grams per Liter) of residual sugar
Dry: 17 to 32 g/L (grams per Liter) of residual sugar
Demi-sec: 32 to 50 g/L (grams per Liter) of residual sugar
Doux: more than 50 g/L (grams per Liter) of residual sugar

Although 12 to 17 grams per liter may sound like a lot of sugar, wines in that range are actually dry and generally very crowd-pleasing. 

Which Foods Pair Well with Sparkling Rosé?

Sparkling rosé is one of the most versatile styles of wine for food pairings, as its fruit-forwardness, lack of tannins, and high acidity help bring flavors in food to life. From canapés and barbecue favorites to dessert and beyond, these versatile bottles promise to carry you easily through an entire meal, from fried appetizers to fruit tartlets.

These are six bottles to try.