9 Roses to Drink All Year

Rose wine bottles — Liquor.com / Laura Sant

Summer may be prime rosé season, but why relegate this delicious, versatile pink juice to a mere few months when you can enjoy it year round? The variety of grapes from which rosé is made—syrah, grenache, tempranillo, merlot, pinot noir, sangiovese and many more—allows for a choice of styles from crisp and dry to fruit-forward and creamy. These are nine rosés from around the world for all-year drinking. Erin Scala, the owner of wine shop In Vino Veritas outside of Charlottesville, Va., and a contributor to the I’ll Drink to That podcast, offers her ideas for tasty food pairings to accompany each bottle.

Bedrock Ode to Lulu (Sonoma County, Calif.; $25)

This juicy fuller-bodied yet light wine comprises a blend of grenache and mataro (aka mouvedre), both old vines dating back to the late 1800s and early 1900s. The result: a fantastic rosé that Scala calls “American history in a bottle.”

Scala’s pairing: “Because it’s a fruitier wine, I like to pair it with rustic charcuterie.”
Cavalchina Bardolino Chiaretto (Lake Garda, Italy; $16)

If you love rosé from Provence, you need to discover chiaretto. This dry Italian wine from Italy’s northern Lake Garda region has lovely versatility and comes at a fraction of the price of the French wine. It’s made from the same grapes as Valpolicella—corvina, rondinella and molinara—so it can pack some heft but also has crispness with lovely complexity. Here, you’ll find strawberry, tropical notes, nice acid and a long finish.

Scala’s pairing: “The salty-citrusy flavors in this wine make it a perfect pairing for tuna or crudo.”
Chêne Bleu Le Rosé (Rhone Valley, France; $36)

Often, many drinkers hope to pay around $12 for a bottle of rosé. When you’re looking for a more elevated experience without truly breaking the bank, drink this. Made mostly from higher-elevation grenache in the southern Rhone, it drinks on par with top-rated Provençal rosés, so think of it as a high-end value. It’s rich and intense, offering some floral notes along with lime, grapefruit and currants, while remaining balanced and fresh.

Scala’s pairing: “This wine has a rich midpalate, which makes it great with lush seafood dishes like scallops or monkfish.”
Chronic Cellars Pink Pedals (Paso Robles, Calif.; $15)

Despite Chronic Cellars’ stoner vibe presented on its labels, it makes some kick-ass wines. The Pink Pedals is no exception. Don’t be put off by the orange-pink hue. It leads to a lush mouthfeel with hints of dark chocolate, compote, cinnamon apple spice and strawberry.

Scala’s pairing: “The juice and berry-like aromas in this wine make it a gulpable pairing for a flavorful hanger steak and also seared scallops and roasted Brussels sprouts.”

Continue to 5 of 9 below.
Clos Cibonne Tibouren Rosé Tradition (Provence, France; $29)

If you’re looking for a unique expression with body, texture and layers of flavor, grab this bottle. It’s aged for a year on the lees in foudres (large wooden vats) to concentrate the flavors: red currant, citrus peel, spice and more that, if left to age, will only improve.

Scala’s pairing: “The racy acid is perfect with briny seafood, like oysters on the half shell, barnacles, prawns—anything that has some salinity.”
Domaine Skouras Peplo Rosé (Peloponnese, Greece; $22)

A fantastic wine from one of Greece’s best-known winemakers, the Peplo blends syrah with two native grapes—agirogitiko, which is aged in acacia wood barrels, and mavrofilero, which is macerated in amphora—resulting in this medium-bodied wine with a nose of white flowers and something akin to candied watermelon. In the mouth, you’ll pick up peach, basil and perhaps even some tarragon, all backed by great structure.

Scala’s pairing: “I love pairing a rosé like this with simple Mediterranean food like feta and Greek olive oil. You can also take it in a different direction and pair it with a sweeter Greek pastry like kalitsounia—or any pastry filled with sweet cream cheese will do.”
Hacienda de Arínzano Rosé (Navarra, Spain; $20)

This tempranillo rosé surprises with an array of flavors, including red fruit, citrus, green herbs and white pepper. It has a creamy mouthfeel and nice spiciness, allowing it to pair well with a variety of food.

Scala’s pairing: “Panzanella with tomatoes, fresh herbs, pepper and citrus. You’ll bring out everything that pops about this wine.”
La Crema Rosé (Monterey County, Calif.; $23)

When it comes to accessible wines, La Crema should be at the top of your list. While it’s often found at supermarkets, don’t write it off as mere “supermarket wine.” La Crema, now in its 40th year, claims some really fabulous cold-climate pinot noir wines, and if you ever visit its Sonoma tasting rooms, you’ll find an array of exclusive bottles, like the Saralee’s Vineyard rosé. Until then, go ahead and grab this very drinkable pinot noir Monterey rosé, with hints of watermelon, strawberry, cherry, citrus and blood orange and with a zesty minerality that renders it complementary to many types of food.

Scala’s pairing: “Thai takeout! I love any curry dish, and peanut lettuce rolls and sticky mango and rice are perfect. La Crema is rich, and you want something with a little heat.”

Continue to 9 of 9 below.
Sokol Blosser Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir (Dundee Hills, Ore.; $25)

If you like pinot noir from Oregon’s Willamette Valley and you like rosé, you’re going to love this wine. It’s spicy, tart and a little tangy, like pink grapefruit, with a rounded mouthfeel and notes of currant, orange zest and raspberry. This one is a keeper—at least until you drink it all.

Scala’s pairing: “It’s gotta be bacon! You get spicy, sweet, tangy from the rosé, and then pair it with anything bacon, you get this smoky, earthy meatiness from the bacon, which evokes barbecue.”

9 Rosés to Drink Year-Round