More and more wine lovers are discovering the delightful pink offerings that flood into the marketplace during the Spring and Summer. These refreshing wines are no longer being confused with White Zinfandel. Enough wine lovers have traveled to France, Italy or Spain during the Summer and have enjoyed a properly chilled Rose and now know that these wines are typically fermented very dry, have delicate fruit flavors that suggest bing cherries, wild strawberries, red raspberries and have a crisp lively acidity.
Ground zero for truly great Rose still is Provence, France and just seeing that the winery is located here is almost an absolute guarantee that the contents will put a smile on your face. Most are produced with the typical Rhone River Valley grape varieties: Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre. And there are more and more tasty Roses coming from just west, in the Languedoc, where they can use the ubiquitous Carignane grape. Overall, these are the most reliable for quality but, these tend to be the pricier bottlings.
Spain is another hotbed for great "Rosado". All over Spain Rosado is produced. These are mostly made from the easy growing Garnacha grape with fruit flavors that typically include cherry and red plum. Tempranillo Rosado is also easy to find coming in at a close second. Spanish Rosado is always a great value; essentially the same grapes as their neighbor to the north, but at a much more affordable price.
Lastly, the sun drenched vineyards of Italy also have been producing more and more Rose. The typical offerings are made from the Montepulciano grapes growing in the Abruzzo region, a wine region just a two hour drive east of Rome. There are also great Roses produced in Calabria from Gaglioppo grape.
All in all, these wines are always a great idea for casual dining and situations where the temperatures are shooting up into the 90's. Whether it's France, Spain or Italy pick up a bottle of a nice Rose next time your entertaining or just enjoying some quiet time in the backyard.