Summer is rosé season, and there’s no better time to open a bottle of pink wine than Fourth of July weekend. You can, of course, drink rosé year-round – I do – but it’s particularly thirst-quenching when the weather is hot. (And it’s a good choice with hot dogs!)
Rosés from Provence are particularly popular these days, but you’ll also find some attractive bottles from the southern Rhône River valley. I tasted some refreshing versions recently at a Rhône Valley trade tasting.
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Costières de Nîmes, in the southwest of the Rhône region, is the source of some excellent examples of rosé. For example, the 2022 Domaine Gassier “Brise de Grenache” Rosé ($20), which is mostly grenache, is very fresh, with raspberry and cranberry flavors and a saline note that would keep me coming back for more. Or there’s the 2022 Château Mourgues du Grès “Fleur d’Eglantine” Rosé ($17), a blend of grenache, cinsault and mourvèdre that has some weight and displays bright flavors of watermelon and strawberry with an undertone of wet stone.
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The 2022 M. Chapoutier “Belleruche” Rosé ($17), from the broader Côtes du Rhône appellation, offers lively strawberry and lemon with some weight and richness. The wine, a blend of grenache, syrah and cinsault, is widely available.
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From Italy, the 2022 Masciarelli Colline Teatine Rosato ($14) is bargain-priced and brimming with juicy cherry and cranberry and a whisper of tannin that stands up to food. The grape is montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
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Finally, if you’d prefer to stick with a U.S. wine to celebrate American independence, try the very pure and refreshing 2022 Sonoma-Cutrer Rosé of Pinot Noir ($20). This Russian River Valley wine is racy and delicious, with golden raspberry, a hint of cranberry and just 11.9 percent alcohol.